clutch

¹ American  

[kluhch] / klʌtʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to seize with or as with the hands or claws; snatch.

   The bird swooped down and clutched its prey with its claws.

2. to grip or hold tightly or firmly.

   She clutched the child's hand as they crossed the street.

   Synonyms:

   hug, clench, hold, clasp, grasp

3. Slang. to spellbind; grip (a person) emotionally; hold the attention, or interest of.

   Garbo movies really clutch me.

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verb (used without object)

1. to try to seize or grasp (usually followed byat ).

   He clutched at the fleeing child. She clutched at the opportunity.

2. Slang. to become tense with fright; panic (sometimes followed byup ).

   I clutched up on the math exam.

3. to operate the clutch in a vehicle.

noun

1. the hand, claw, etc., when grasping.

2. Usually clutches power of disposal or control; mastery.

   She fell into the clutches of the enemy.

3. the act of clutching; a snatch or grasp.

4. a tight grip or hold.

5. a device for gripping something.

6. Automotive, Machinery.

   1. a mechanism for readily engaging or disengaging a shaft with or from another shaft or rotating part.

   2. a control, as a pedal, for operating this mechanism.

7. Sports. an extremely important or crucial moment of a game.

   He was famous for his coolness in pitching in the clutch.

8. any critical position or situation; emergency.

   She kept complete control in the clutch.

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

adjective

1. done or accomplished in a critical situation: Without a couple of clutch heals, we would've had a party wipe in that dungeon.

   He sank a clutch shot that won the basketball game.

   Without a couple of clutch heals, we would've had a party wipe in that dungeon.

2. dependable in crucial situations.

   a clutch player.

3. accomplished at the last possible moment or against the odds.

   Phew! That was a clutch win!

4. of or relating to a person, especially a player, who delivers under difficult conditions or at a crucial moment.

   Their quarterback is showing his clutch gene this season.

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

interjection

1. (used to celebrate something that is found or is available fortuitously, at just the right moment).

   When my phone died, the guy at the next table loaned me his charger. Clutch!

idioms

1. in the clutch, in a crucial, must-win, make-or-break moment.

   You need subs who can come off the bench and score in the clutch.

2. come in clutch, to deliver or perform what is needed at just the right time or at the last possible moment.

   I missed the bus, which would've made me late for my interview, but a neighbor came in clutch and gave me a ride.

clutch ² American  

[kluhch] / klʌtʃ /

noun

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

2. a brood of chickens.

3. a number of similar individuals.

   a clutch of books; a whole clutch of dancers.

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verb (used with object)

1. to hatch (chickens).

clutch ¹ British  

/ klʌtʃ /

verb

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

2. (tr) to grasp or hold firmly

3. to attempt to get hold or possession (of)

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noun

1. 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

2. a device for holding fast

3. a firm grasp

4. a hand, claw, or talon in the act of clutching

   in the clutches of a bear

5. (often plural) power or control

   in the clutches of the Mafia

6. Also called: clutch bag.  a handbag without handles

clutch ² British  

/ klʌtʃ /

noun

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

2. a brood of chickens

3. informal a group, bunch, or cluster

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verb

1. (tr) to hatch (chickens)

clutch More Idioms  

1. see grasp (clutch) at straws.

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Usage

What else does clutch mean? In slang, clutch refers to something done (well) in a crucial situation, such as a clutch play in sports that pushes a team into victory. More broadly, clutch can characterize something as "excellent" or "effective."

Related Words

See catch.

Other Word Forms

• clutchingly
  adverb
• clutchy
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of clutch¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English clucchen, variant of clicchen, Old English clyccan “to clench”

Origin of clutch²

First recorded in 1715–25; variant of cletch (now dialectal); akin to Scots cleck “to hatch,” from Old Norse klekja “to hatch”

Explanation

To clutch is to grasp or hold on to tightly. Some people clutch the safety bar on the roller coaster for dear life; others throw their hands in the air. As a noun, clutch has many meanings: a brood of chickens, a strapless purse, the extra pedal in a stick-shift car. But the verb remains a great way to describe grasping. "Once I knew only darkness and stillness . . . but a little word from the fingers of another fell into my hand that clutched at emptiness, and my heart leaped to the rapture of living,” said Helen Keller, recalling the moment she learned to read Braille.

Example Sentences

Dorset's much-loved ospreys are incubating another bumper clutch of four eggs and all eyes are on their nest cam, waiting for the first chick to appear.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

U.S. stock futures edged lower ahead of a clutch of earnings announcements from megacap tech stocks later this week, while U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

Female CJ7 was filmed with her clutch of four eggs for the third year in a row on her nest near Wareham, Dorset shortly before 07:00 GMT.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

And once again, the Lakers showed their clutch genes.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

I clutch at the sheets, my fingers interlacing with the fabric.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

Related Words

• clasp
• clench
• cling to
• fasten
• grasp
• grip
• snatch