death grip
Americannoun
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a very tight grip caused by fear or panic, as if facing death (often used facetiously).
Scared out of my wits, and with a death grip on the motorbike's handlebars, I swore never again to ride on wet pavement.
You don’t need to have such a death grip on the bat while waiting for the pitch, you know.
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a very tight grip on someone, as to strangle or completely overpower them.
As he knelt, the attacker took him from behind in a death grip, one hand clamped down firmly on his head, the other like a vise around his chest.
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tyrannical or unrelenting control.
Debt has a death grip on so many people's lives.
These few media giants have had a death grip on the industry for the past decade.
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Slang: Vulgar. a very tight grip on the penis when masturbating.
Etymology
Origin of death grip
First recorded in 1730–40; 2010–15 death grip for def. 4
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Surely the man who held “The Tonight Show” in a death grip for 22 years has some thoughts.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2025
Korean dramas are able to "articulate the death grip that parents have over children that no one in the West will be able to understand the way we do", Ms Nair says.
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2023
He didn’t need to tell my mom to hold on — I saw her death grip.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 17, 2022
In a Kalashnikov Sicilian, White obtains a death grip on d5, but Dardha is holding his own as Black until 23.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 1, 2022
Her hands have a death grip on the steering wheel.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
