grab

[ grab ]

/ græb /

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See synonyms for: grab / grabbed / grabbing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), grabbed, grab·bing.

to seize suddenly or quickly; snatch; clutch: He grabbed me by the collar.

to 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.

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

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR grab

1 grasp, grip, catch.

See synonyms for grab on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

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

Words nearby grab

GPU, GQ, gr, GR8, Graafian follicle, grab, grab bag, grab bar, grabber, grabble, grabby

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

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

The post The streaming wars have escalated over turf grabs appeared first on Digiday.
The streaming wars have escalated over turf grabs|Tim Peterson|August 26, 2020|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|Quartz
Yet 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 Review
Kayla 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 Diego

There 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|DAILY BEAST
Johnson 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|DAILY BEAST
In 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|DAILY BEAST
The 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|DAILY BEAST
With 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|DAILY BEAST
His 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 Kelland
Joe tried to grab him with the boathook, but it was useless, and the unhappy poltroon's body was whirled away.
The Chequers|James Runciman
Sure maybe you could grab that dough by blasting your way with the heaters plenty.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
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 Anderson
It 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

grab

/ (ɡræb) /

verb grabs, grabbing or grabbed

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

noun

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

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

In addition to the idiom beginning with grab

grab bag

also see:

how does that grab you
up for grabs

grab

OTHER WORDS FOR grab

Idioms about grab

Origin of grab

OTHER WORDS FROM grab

Words nearby grab

Other definitions for grab (2 of 2)

Origin of grab

Words related to grab

How to use grab in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for grab

Derived forms of grab

Word Origin for grab

Other Idioms and Phrases with grab