as in clenching
to close or secure (something, such as a door) with a latch
latch the gate
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of latching
Leslie Mann delivers a heartwarming performance as a woman drifting through a midlife reset, latching onto two college students locked in a subtle competition for her attention.
—
Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
The strategy is paying off, with an increasing number of listeners latching onto Toledo’s great versions of these soul/pop/R&B classics.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
Fifth-place Monaco grabbed a second goal 10 minutes into the second half when midfielder Aleksandr Golovin, who had just come on, slid the ball into the bottom corner after latching onto a cross from the right.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Now, some are latching onto the wave of anti-OpenAI sentiment to voice broader critiques of the company.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Mar. 2026
As Ngumoha continued to threaten in the minutes that followed, Mac Allister would not be denied a second time, latching onto a loose ball in the box to secure victory.
—Gregg Evans, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
One very funny snippet has Elvis giving a sweet peck on the cheek to a little girl at the lip of the stage followed by what appears to be her big sister latching her lips onto him like a mollusk before being peeled off by her mother.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
Naval warfare goes a bit clingy as Lockheed Martin unveils its robotic Lamprey Multi-Mission Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (MMAUV), which can hitch a ride on friendly ships or submarines by latching onto their hulls to conserve power.
—David Szondy
february 09, New Atlas, 9 Feb. 2026
Some bright minds are already latching onto this idea.
—Anthony Digiorgio, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
The strategy is paying off, with an increasing number of listeners latching onto Toledo’s great versions of these soul/pop/R&B classics.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
Fifth-place Monaco grabbed a second goal 10 minutes into the second half when midfielder Aleksandr Golovin, who had just come on, slid the ball into the bottom corner after latching onto a cross from the right.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Now, some are latching onto the wave of anti-OpenAI sentiment to voice broader critiques of the company.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Mar. 2026
As Ngumoha continued to threaten in the minutes that followed, Mac Allister would not be denied a second time, latching onto a loose ball in the box to secure victory.
—Gregg Evans, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
One very funny snippet has Elvis giving a sweet peck on the cheek to a little girl at the lip of the stage followed by what appears to be her big sister latching her lips onto him like a mollusk before being peeled off by her mother.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
Naval warfare goes a bit clingy as Lockheed Martin unveils its robotic Lamprey Multi-Mission Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (MMAUV), which can hitch a ride on friendly ships or submarines by latching onto their hulls to conserve power.
—David Szondy
february 09, New Atlas, 9 Feb. 2026
Some bright minds are already latching onto this idea.
—Anthony Digiorgio, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for latching
Verb
-
Protect against teeth grinding, clenching and enamel damage with custom dental solutions from ClearClub.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Melvin Council stood amid a crowd of his Kansas teammates, clenching a black belt in his fist.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
There was the usual assemblage of male and female Anna’s and just a couple of the Allen’s darting out occasionally from the sanctuary of the nearby tree to drink nectar from the hanging feeders.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
At one point, a part of the big-rig was hanging over the railing.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Raygan Kirk made 28 saves, allowing only Fanuza Kadirova's tying goal late in the first period.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Because on a night the Celtics shot 21 of 44 on 3-pointers, the Heat countered at 24 of 47 from beyond the arc, tying the franchise record for 3-pointers.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Others showed baby Spero clasping his tiny hand around Graham's finger and slumbering with a smile on his face.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Back at the gathering, there were Martha’s groans and Gretchen’s anger, and there was Mike, clasping his chest—a heart attack?—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In addition to clinching homecourt advantage, the win also made the Spurs the first team since the 2007-2008 Boston Celtics to notch 55 victories the year after having less than 35 wins the season before.—
Tom Orsborn,
San Antonio Express-News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Before their very eyes, Lamarck transformed the person into an amateur botanist, clinching the metamorphosis with a successful plant identification.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
For many adults, the beauty book triggered memories of a pre-social-media childhood spent cutting pictures out of magazines and pasting them into notebooks.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
-
All medical specialties have rules for filling out their notes, and ABA providers shouldn’t need the state to tell them that copying and pasting the same summary for each session, as the inspectors found in some cases, wasn’t good enough, Bimestefer said.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Wolf packs on the hunt encircled their prey—typically elk—clamping at the jugular when their target grew weary from the chase.—
Nidhi Sharma,
Popular Science,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The maximum clamping force reaches 21 kg (46 lb), which is quite a bit for a tool of this size.—
Maryna Holovnova,
New Atlas,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But the Florida House supermajority, after years of blindly bending to DeSantis’ will, apparently decided that protecting Floridians from AI’s worst predations is too much to ask.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The desire to win has often resulted in athletes bending the rules.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Latching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/latching. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
