grab
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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grabs,
present (3rd person singular)
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grabbed,
past participle, past
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grabbing
present participle
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to seize suddenly or quickly; snatch; clutch.
He grabbed me by the collar.
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to take illegal possession of; seize forcibly or unscrupulously.
to grab land.
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to obtain and consume quickly.
Let's grab a sandwich before going to the movie.
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Slang.
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to cause a reaction in; affect.
How does my idea grab you?
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to arouse the interest or excitement of.
The book was O.K., but it just didn't grab me.
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verb (used without object)
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grabs,
present (3rd person singular)
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grabbed,
past participle, past
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grabbing
present participle
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to make a grasping or clutching motion (usually followed byat ).
He grabbed frantically at the life preserver.
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(of brakes, a clutch, etc.) to take hold suddenly or with a jolting motion; catch.
noun
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a sudden, quick grasp or snatch.
to make a grab at something.
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seizure or acquisition by violent or unscrupulous means.
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something that is grabbed.
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a mechanical device for gripping objects.
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the capacity to hold or adhere.
The glue was so old it had lost its grab.
idioms
noun
verb
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to seize hold of (something)
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(tr) to seize illegally or unscrupulously
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(tr) to arrest; catch
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(intr) (of a brake or clutch in a vehicle) to grip and release intermittently causing juddering
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informal (tr) to catch the attention or interest of; impress
noun
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the act or an instance of grabbing
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a mechanical device for gripping objects, esp the hinged jaws of a mechanical excavator
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something that is grabbed
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informal available to be bought, claimed, or won
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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grabsimple
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grabssimple
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have grabbedperfect
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has grabbedperfect
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am grabbingprogressive
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are grabbingprogressive
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is grabbingprogressive
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have been grabbingperfect progressive
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has been grabbingperfect progressive
Past
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grabbedsimple
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had grabbedperfect
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was grabbingprogressive
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were grabbingprogressive
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had been grabbingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of grab1
First recorded in 1580–90; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German grabben, Swedish grabba
Origin of grab2
First recorded in 1670–80; from Arabic ghurāb literally, “raven”
Explanation
When you grab something, you clutch at it. When a party-goer breaks open a piñata, the other guests usually grab wildly at the candy that cascades out of it. You can grab for the string of a balloon as it floats away, or grab your friend in a hug. Another way to grab is to make an impression: "When I hear a marching band, it grabs my attention." A "grab bag" is a random mixture of things, or a bag of goodies you can reach into and grab from. If something's "up for grabs." it's available: "This last piece of pie is up for grabs!"
Vocabulary lists containing grab
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.
See Examples For:
He went back near the galley where he wouldn’t bother his seatmates and called his mom, asking her to grab a replacement pair.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
At a live show, people won’t leave after 30 minutes, but on Netflix, people will leave five minutes in if you don’t grab them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
The guide association fears, however, that once Uber has a foothold in the park, it will drive down prices, grab business from traditional guides and fend off any other ride-hailing competitors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
The animal has red eyes and a short proboscis equipped with claws that help it grab food before biting.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 25, 2026
Lily strays toward a dessert table already crowded with cookies and brownies, but I grab her hand and redirect her toward Aunt Melissa.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
San Jose Water Co., which serves about 1 million customers, disputed the group’s findings, saying it used “erroneously aggregated data to perform an analysis that grabs headlines.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Meanwhile, 35 of 100 seats in the Senate, the upper chamber, will also be up for grabs.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
The U.S. and China are far and away the world’s two most powerful countries, but the nature of their ultimate relationship is still up for grabs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
And the question of how the country’s premier history museum should tell the nation’s story is suddenly up for grabs.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
She grabs the top one and brings it to me.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Everyone in the room grabbed either shakers or a small drum, and with Densmore instructing and conducting, the ensemble conjured what he called the heartbeat of Mother Earth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
That defeat dethroned Bath as champions and they were looking ruthless as they grabbed two early tries.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
He preened, grabbed his oversized scissors and opened his mouth to boast, but no one could hear a single word over the deafening roar of Marine One’s idling engines.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026
Dart immediately grabbed his left knee, and didn’t return in New York’s 28-6 loss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
He grabbed his newspaper and shoved it in my direction.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
The actress became visibly emotional as she recounted the events of the crypt and attempted to justify grabbing the shield before offering it to Fry.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
“They set the tone for us defensively. There was a lot of physicality, a lot of grabbing and holding, a lot of disruption without gambling.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
You can also suggest you all do different, less-costly activities like going to a park or grabbing ice cream.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
“We’re diving under the water and grabbing these big old catfish. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done.”
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
When Danny decided to climb out the window and stand on the Finnegans’ roof, everyone blamed the stories about children flying on shadows and grabbing the tails of shooting stars.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
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.
