grip

[ grip ]
See synonyms for: gripgrippedgrippinggrips on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the act of grasping; a seizing and holding fast; firm grasp.

  2. the power of gripping: He has a strong grip.

  1. a grasp, hold, or control.

  2. mental or intellectual hold: to have a good grip on a problem.

  3. competence or firmness in dealing with situations in one's work or personal affairs:The boss is old and is losing his grip.

  4. a special mode of clasping hands: Members of the club use the secret grip.

  5. something that seizes and holds, as a clutching device on a cable car.

  6. a handle or hilt: That knife has a very unusual grip.

  7. a sudden, sharp pain; spasm of pain.

  8. Older Use. a small traveling bag.

    • Theater. a stagehand, especially one who works on the stage floor.

    • Movies, Television. a general assistant available on a film set for shifting scenery, moving furniture, etc.

verb (used with object),gripped or gript, grip·ping.
  1. to grasp or seize firmly; hold fast: We gripped the sides of the boat as the waves tossed us about.

  2. to take hold on; hold the interest of: to grip the mind.

  1. to attach by a grip or clutch.

verb (used without object),gripped or gript, grip·ping.
  1. to take firm hold; hold fast.

  2. to take hold on the mind.

Idioms about grip

  1. come to grips with,

    • to encounter; meet; cope with: She had never come to grips with such a situation before.

    • to deal with directly or firmly: We didn't come to grips with the real problem.

Origin of grip

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English gripe “grasp” (noun); cognate with German Griff, Old English gripa “handful”; see gripe

Other words for grip

Other words from grip

  • gripless, adjective
  • re·grip, verb, re·gripped or re·gript, re·grip·ping.
  • un·grip, verb, un·gripped, un·grip·ping.

Words that may be confused with grip

Words Nearby grip

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use grip in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for grip (1 of 2)

grip1

/ (ɡrɪp) /


noun
  1. the act or an instance of grasping and holding firmly: he lost his grip on the slope

  2. Also called: handgrip the strength or pressure of such a grasp, as in a handshake: a feeble grip

  1. the style or manner of grasping an object, such as a tennis racket

  2. understanding, control, or mastery of a subject, problem, etc (esp in such phrases as get or have a grip on)

  3. Also called: handgrip a part by which an object is grasped; handle

  4. Also called: handgrip a travelling bag or holdall

  5. any device that holds by friction, such as certain types of brake

  6. a method of clasping or shaking hands used by members of secret societies to greet or identify one another

  7. a spasm of pain: a grip in one's stomach

  8. a worker in a camera crew or a stagehand who shifts sets and props, etc

  9. a small drainage channel cut above an excavation to conduct surface water away from the excavation

  10. get to grips or come to grips (often foll by with)

    • to deal with (a problem or subject)

    • to tackle (an assailant)

verbgrips, gripping or gripped
  1. to take hold of firmly or tightly, as by a clutch

  2. to hold the interest or attention of: to grip an audience

Origin of grip

1
Old English gripe grasp; related to Old Norse gripr property, Old High German grif

Derived forms of grip

  • gripper, noun
  • grippingly, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for grip (2 of 2)

grip2

/ (ɡrɪp) /


noun
  1. med a variant spelling of grippe

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with grip

grip

see come to grips with; get a grip on; lose one's grip.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.