grab
1to take illegal possession of; seize forcibly or unscrupulously: to grab land.
to obtain and consume quickly: Let's grab a sandwich before going to the movie.
Slang.
to cause a reaction in; affect: How does my idea grab you?
to arouse the interest or excitement of: The book was O.K., but it just didn't grab me.
to make a grasping or clutching motion (usually followed by at): He grabbed frantically at the life preserver.
(of brakes, a clutch, etc.) to take hold suddenly or with a jolting motion; catch.
a sudden, quick grasp or snatch: to make a grab at something.
seizure or acquisition by violent or unscrupulous means.
something that is grabbed.
a mechanical device for gripping objects.
the capacity to hold or adhere: The glue was so old it had lost its grab.
Idioms about grab
up for grabs, Informal. available to anyone willing to expend the energy to get it: The Republican nomination for mayor was up for grabs.
Origin of grab
1Other words for grab
Other words from grab
- grab·ba·ble, adjective
- un·grab·bing, adjective
Words Nearby grab
Other definitions for grab (2 of 2)
a ship having two or three masts with a square rig, common on the Malabar Coast in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Origin of grab
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use grab in a sentence
The post The streaming wars have escalated over turf grabs appeared first on Digiday.
Now, two years after Ethiopia first teased the world with plans that as much of half of the country’s telecommunications industry was up for grabs, there is still no clear timetable for its implementation.
Ethiopia is quietly walking back plans to open up Africa’s last big telecom sector to foreign players | Zecharias Zelalem | August 19, 2020 | QuartzYet that hasn’t stopped him from using the crisis to justify even more aggressive data grabs.
Brazil is sliding into techno-authoritarianism | Tate Ryan-Mosley | August 19, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewKayla Jimenez compiled a list of the seats that are up for grabs and the major initiatives that have already qualified in this week’s North County Report.
Morning Report: The Rise of Private, Non-School Schooling Options | Voice of San Diego | August 6, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoThere are two City Council seats — District 2 and District 4 — up for grabs.
North County Report: What We Know About the November Ballot So Far | Kayla Jimenez | August 5, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
The officers approached Garner and tried to grab hold of him, but he swatted their hands away.
Before Eric Garner, There Was Michael Stewart: The Tragic Story of the Real-Life Radio Raheem | Marlow Stern | December 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTJohnson would tell the grand jury that he never saw Brown stick his hand inside the car and grab the gun.
90 Seconds of Fury in Ferguson Are the Key to Making Peace in America | Michael Daly | November 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn fact, as Ihrig points out, Mussolini called himself “the Mustafa Kemal of a Milanese Ankara” as he began his own power-grab.
The 20th-Century Dictator Most Idolized by Hitler | William O’Connor | November 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe brazen land grab of Crimea was planned while Putin was enjoying the limelight of the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Putin Is Lying on Ukraine—and the West Can’t Stop Him | Jamie Dettmer | November 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWith every grab, the idea that law and politics are separate becomes harder for anyone to believe.
A Reminder: Our Justices are Politicians in Robes | Jedediah Purdy | November 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHis motto was, "grab a dollar to-day—but don't meddle with it if it interferes with a thousand dollars in ten years."
Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington KellandJoe tried to grab him with the boathook, but it was useless, and the unhappy poltroon's body was whirled away.
The Chequers | James RuncimanSure maybe you could grab that dough by blasting your way with the heaters plenty.
Jehosophat kicked at him with his wet feet, and tried to grab the fat red nose that hung down over the turkey's beak.
Seven O'Clock Stories | Robert Gordon AndersonIt might be nothing more than the ordinary “grab racket” with which a feast commonly concludes; it might be something worse.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25) | Robert Louis Stevenson
British Dictionary definitions for grab
/ (ɡræb) /
to seize hold of (something)
(tr) to seize illegally or unscrupulously
(tr) to arrest; catch
(intr) (of a brake or clutch in a vehicle) to grip and release intermittently causing juddering
(tr) informal to catch the attention or interest of; impress
the act or an instance of grabbing
a mechanical device for gripping objects, esp the hinged jaws of a mechanical excavator
something that is grabbed
up for grabs informal available to be bought, claimed, or won
Origin of grab
1Derived forms of grab
- grabber, noun
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 grab
In addition to the idiom beginning with grab
- grab bag
also see:
- how does that grab you
- up for grabs
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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