inch
a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
How often you will meet it
Rank 2,666 of 86,757 words measured. It occurs 50,622 times across 426,181 published chapters — 0.003% of every word in the library.
What it means
noun
- a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot also: in
- a unit of measurement for advertising space also: column inch
verb
- advance slowly, as if by inches also: edge He edged towards the car
inch in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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A grocery wagon shaved him by an inch.
Queed: A Novel · Henry Sydnor Harrison · Chapter 1
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All other space, to the last inch, was crowded by passengers or their luggage.
From Plotzk to Boston · Mary Antin · Chapter 1
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Fortune made his sheep-face, saluted behind his ear, and said, “Every inch a soldier--I don’t think!”
Back to Life · Philip Gibbs · Chapter 1
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The wound had healed over perfectly, although its inner edge was within a quarter of an inch of the backbone.
The Colonial Mortuary Bard: 1901 · Louis Becke · Chapter 1
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The small craft sped here and there, firing their 4-inch guns as rapidly as possible, and inflicting damage on one another.
The Boy's Book of the Sea · Eric Wood · Chapter 1