inch away
inch away · inches away · inched away · inching away
To begin to change one's position on a topicTo begin to change one's position on a topic; to subtly distance oneself from previous associates, ideas, etc.
» Diego was inches away from the train window.
Amastan · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
1 senses(idiomatic, informal)To begin to change one's position on a topic; to subtly distance oneself from previous associates, ideas, etc.
They're trying to inch away from their policies.
Examples
10 sentencesDiego was inches away from the train window.
I was inches away from her when she died.
Lorenzo was literally inches away from death.
deLorenz ist dem Tod noch ganz knapp von der Schippe gesprungen. — Waldelfe
Lorenzo was inches away from getting decapitated.
Paul was already inching back away from the window.
Forms
inches away, inching away, inched away, inched away| Base form | inch away · to inch away |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | inches away |
| Present participle | inching away |
| Past simple | inched away |
| Past participle | inched away |
irregular
Phrasal verbs
5 phrasal verbs- inch upTo move or increase by small increments, typically slowly and carefully.
- inch backTo move something backward by a very small amount, often in a slow and gradual way.
- inch awayTo begin to change one's position on a topic; to subtly distance oneself from previous associates, ideas, etc.
- inch alongTo move slowly or to make progress gradually, bit by bit.
- inch forwardTo move forward in a very slow, cautious, and careful way.
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Phrasal verbs: introduction — Because it is a phrasal verb