clench

And because the jaw and the nervous system are so closely linked through the major cranial nerves, our muscles are triggered and we clench and grind our teeth.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Faces clench before pivotal moments of conflict on stage.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

I get up there, I’m like, smile, don’t look like you’re shaking inside, pop the hip, float your arm down, don’t clench your hand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

I felt my heart clench, because it’s like, “Oh, there she really is.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2025

He gazed at it, and she saw him clench his jaw just slightly.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo

Somatic workout classes, characterized by minuscule clenches and releases, have exploded in popularity as an antidote to high-intensity exercise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

It’s like the face that Dorothy makes when she clenches her eyes shut and clicks her ruby red slippers to transport herself home.

From Slate ● May 12, 2024

Mercy clenches her hands and she thumps the table as she agrees.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2023

Half a world away, Tony Goldwyn clenches his jaw in a kitted-out corporate conference room as the only honest crisis manager in the airline biz.

From New York Times ● Jan. 12, 2023

She clenches her jaw and huffs before going on.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

When our instructor, Master Kim, paired us together for partner drills, I clenched my teeth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

One by the painter Vincent Valdez features a clenched fist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Each of Alcaraz's winners was met with a clenched fist and celebratory cry of "vamos" - Spanish for "let's go" - towards his team on the side of the court.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

He plans to stay in Miami until Scotland knows its fate, and to pass the time in a much more pleasant way than watching other teams with clenched teeth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Without waiting for a reply, Lady Constance wheeled ’round and marched back to the house, her small, pale hands clenched into fists.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

After years spent clenching, tightening and torquing myself out of all types of alignment, I am ready to surrender my way back to something like order.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026

Breathtaking iron play brought birdies on 15 and 17 before he finally closed out Quail Hollow's toughest hole, the 18th, by sinking his 10-foot birdie putt and clenching his fist in satisfaction.

From BBC ● May 17, 2025

Gardner’s on antianxiety drugs to help him function, and he’s started wearing a mouthguard at night because he’s been clenching his teeth in his sleep.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2025

They’re clenching their fists while they’re watching this keynote.

From New York Times ● Jun. 14, 2024

I knew this feeling—I knew what the clenching in my guts meant.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken