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grab

1
[ grab ]
/ græb /
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See synonyms for: grab / grabbed / grabbing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), grabbed, grab·bing.
verb (used without object), grabbed, grab·bing.
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.
noun
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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

1
First recorded in 1580–90; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German grabben, Swedish grabba

OTHER WORDS FROM grab

grab·ba·ble, adjectiveun·grab·bing, adjective

Other definitions for grab (2 of 2)

grab2
[ grab ]
/ græb /

noun
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

2
First recorded in 1670–80; from Arabic ghurāb literally, “raven”
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use grab in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for grab

grab
/ (ɡræb) /

verb grabs, grabbing or grabbed
noun

Derived forms of grab

grabber, noun

Word Origin for grab

C16: probably from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch grabben; related to Swedish grabba, Sanskrit grbhnāti he seizes
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

grab

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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