clutch

[kluhch]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR clutch ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to seize with or as with the hands or claws; snatch: The bird swooped down and clutched its prey with its claws.

to grip or hold tightly or firmly: She clutched the child's hand as they crossed the street.

Slang. to spellbind; grip a person's emotions, attention, or interest: Garbo movies really clutch me.

verb (used without object)

to try to seize or grasp (usually followed by at): He clutched at the fleeing child. She clutched at the opportunity.

Slang. to become tense with fright; panic (sometimes followed by up): I clutched up on the math exam.

to operate the clutch in a vehicle.

noun

the hand, claw, etc., when grasping.

Usually clutches. power of disposal or control; mastery: She fell into the clutches of the enemy.

the act of clutching; a snatch or grasp.

a tight grip or hold.

a device for gripping something.

Automotive, Machinery.

a mechanism for readily engaging or disengaging a shaft with or from another shaft or rotating part.Compare coupling(def 2a).
a control, as a pedal, for operating this mechanism.

Sports. an extremely important or crucial moment of a game: He was famous for his coolness in pitching in the clutch.

any critical position or situation; emergency: She kept complete control in the clutch.

Also called clutch bag, clutch purse. a woman's small purse that can be carried in the hand and usually has no handle or strap.

adjective

done or accomplished in a critical situation: a clutch shot that won the basketball game.

dependable in crucial situations: a clutch player.

(of a coat) without fasteners; held closed in front by one's hand or arm.

Nearby words

Origin of clutch

1175–1225; Middle English clucchen, variant of clicchen, Old English clyccan to clench

SYNONYMS FOR clutch

2. clench, squeeze, hug.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR clutch ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsclutch·ing·ly, adverbclutch·y, adjective

Synonym study

1. See catch.

clutch

[kluhch]

noun

a hatch of eggs; the number of eggs produced or incubated at one time.

a brood of chickens.

a number of similar individuals: a clutch of books; a whole clutch of dancers.

verb (used with object)

to hatch (chickens).

Origin of clutch

1715–25; variant of cletch (now dial.); akin to Scots cleck to hatch < Old Norse klekja to hatch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for clutch

The Kentucky freshman sunk his third game-winning three-pointer in a row, launching fresh claims about his ‘clutch gene.’
Was Aaron Harrison’s Game-Winning Three-Pointer ‘Clutch’?|Robert Silverman|April 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Plenty of us women were enjoying the same behavior (clutch your pearls); it was fun.
Dear Princeton Mom, Stop Telling Me To Husband-Hunt|Emily Shire|February 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I've always loved when girls carry their wallets as a clutch instead of a bag.
Happy 30th Birthday, Alexander Wang!|The Fashion Beast Team|December 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Right, it's been fun, but now I am off to find a dark room and clutch a cold compress to my head.
Haizhen Wang Closes London Fashion Week|Tom Sykes|September 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Beatrice completed her going-out ensemble with a cream sweater, bow belt and a plastic pink Zara clutch.
Harry And Cressida Party At Bodo's Schloss in London|Tom Sykes|May 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In every part of the United States he had found a city in the clutch of a corrupt ring.
Once Upon A Time|Richard Harding Davis
But there was nothing at which she could clutch save—but it was sheer madness.
Under the Witches' Moon|Nathan Gallizier
If they wore a head-covering at all, it was a shawl gathered at the throat by the clutch of frost-bitten fingers.
Nan Sherwood at Pine Camp|Annie Roe Carr
At that moment his volatile companion gave his arm a clutch and stopped their walk as if a sudden thought had seized him.
His Grace of Osmonde|Frances Hodgson Burnett
Hold the clutch lever in one hand, while with the other you operate the steering wheel.
Farm Engines and How to Run Them|James H. Stephenson

British Dictionary definitions for clutch

clutch

verb

(tr) to seize with or as if with hands or claws

(tr) to grasp or hold firmly

(intr usually foll by at) to attempt to get hold or possession (of)

noun

a device that enables two revolving shafts to be joined or disconnected as required, esp one that transmits the drive from the engine to the gearbox in a vehicle

a device for holding fast

a firm grasp

a hand, claw, or talon in the act of clutchingin the clutches of a bear

(often plural) power or controlin the clutches of the Mafia

Also called: clutch bag a handbag without handles

Word Origin for clutch

Old English clyccan; related to Old Frisian kletsie spear, Swedish klyka clasp, fork

noun

a hatch of eggs laid by a particular bird or laid in a single nest

a brood of chickens

informal a group, bunch, or cluster

verb

(tr) to hatch (chickens)

Word Origin for clutch

C17 (Northern English dialect) cletch, from Old Norse klekja to hatch

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

Word Origin and History for clutch

clutch

Old English clyccan "bring together, bend (the fingers), clench," from PIE *klukja- (cf. Swedish klyka "clamp, fork;" related to cling). Meaning "to grasp" is early 14c.; that of "to seize with the claws or clutches" is from late 14c. Sense of "hold tightly and close" is from c.1600. Influenced in meaning by Middle English cloke "a claw." Related: Clutched; clutching.

clutch

n.3

"a brood, a nest" in reference to chickens, eggs, 1721, from clekken "to hatch" (c.1400). Said by OED to be apparently a southern England dialect word. Cf. batch/bake. Probably from a Scandinavian source (e.g. Old Norse klekja "to hatch"), perhaps of imitative origin (cf. cluck (v.)).

n.1

"a claw, grip, grasp," c.1300, from cloche "claw," from cloke (c.1200), related to clucchen, clicchen (see clutch (v.)). Meaning "grasping hand" (1520s) led to that of "tight grasp" (1784). Related: Clutches.

n.2

movable mechanical part for transmitting motion, 1814, from clutch (v.), with the "seizing" sense extended to "device for bringing working parts together." Originally of mill-works, first used of motor vehicles 1899. Meaning "moment when heroics are required" is attested from 1920s.

Idioms and Phrases with clutch

clutch

see grasp (clutch) at straws.

clutch

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

adjective

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Origin of clutch

Synonym study

clutch

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of clutch

Examples from the Web for clutch

clutch

verb

noun

Word Origin for clutch

noun

verb

Word Origin for clutch

clutch

clutch

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