This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
grab
1[ grab ]
/ græb /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
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
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
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
1First recorded in 1580–90; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German grabben, Swedish grabba
OTHER WORDS FROM grab
grab·ba·ble, adjectiveun·grab·bing, adjectiveWords nearby grab
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
2First 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, nounWord 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.