Meaning & use
clenched fist
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Meanings
nouncountable
A hand with the fingers curled tightly into the palm, often showing anger or tension.
Grammar: Countable noun phrase: a clenched fist, two clenched fists.
Patterns
- with a clenched fist
- raise a clenched fist
He slammed a clenched fist on the table.
She stood with a clenched fist, trying not to cry.
Both clenched fists shook with rage.
nouncountablefigurative
A raised fist used as a symbol of strength, defiance, or solidarity in protest movements.
Grammar: Often the symbol in posters and gestures.
Patterns
- raise a clenched fist
The athletes raised a clenched fist on the podium.
The poster showed a clenched fist above the slogan.
Protesters held up clenched fists as they marched.
Word forms
| plural | clenched fists |
|---|
Common combinations
- raise a clenched fist
- He raised a clenched fist to the crowd.
- with a clenched fist
- She waved with a clenched fist.
- shake a clenched fist
- The farmer shook a clenched fist at the sky.
- clenched fist salute
- The clenched fist salute became a symbol of unity.
- ball into a clenched fist
- His hand balled into a clenched fist.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fist
- Fist is the shorter and ordinary word, where clenched stresses the tightness.
- knuckles
- Knuckles name the joints, not the whole closed hand.
- grip
- Grip means holding something tightly, while a clenched fist grasps nothing.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: clenched fist or clinched?
clenched fist vs clinched
Clinched means settled or secured, as in clinched a deal, while clenched means closed tightly.
Practice
He listened to the unfair verdict with a ____ at his side and his jaw tight.
Choose one answer.
A clenched fist and tight jaw both show anger or tension. The other options suggest relaxed or gentle moods.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “clenched fist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.