grip

American  

[grip] / grɪp /

noun

grips plural

1. the act of grasping; a seizing and holding fast; firm grasp.

2. the power of gripping.

   He has a strong grip.

3. a grasp, hold, or control.

4. mental or intellectual hold.

   to have a good grip on a problem.

5. competence or firmness in dealing with situations in one's work or personal affairs.

   The boss is old and is losing his grip.

6. a special mode of clasping hands.

   Members of the club use the secret grip.

7. something that seizes and holds, as a clutching device on a cable car.

8. a handle or hilt.

   That knife has a very unusual grip.

9. a sudden, sharp pain; spasm of pain.

10. grippe.

11. Older Use. a small traveling bag.

12. 1. Theater. a stagehand, especially one who works on the stage floor.

    2. Movies, Television. a general assistant available on a film set for shifting scenery, moving furniture, etc.

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verb (used with object)

grips, present (3rd person singular) gripped, past participle, past gript, past participle, past gripping present participle

1. to grasp or seize firmly; hold fast.

   We gripped the sides of the boat as the waves tossed us about.

2. to take hold on; hold the interest of.

   to grip the mind.

   Synonyms:

   fascinate, hold, rivet, attract, impress

3. to attach by a grip or clutch.

verb (used without object)

grips, present (3rd person singular) gripped, past participle, past gript, past participle, past gripping present participle

1. to take firm hold; hold fast.

2. to take hold on the mind.

idioms

1. come to grips with,

   1. to encounter; meet; cope with.

      She had never come to grips with such a situation before.

   2. to deal with directly or firmly.

      We didn't come to grips with the real problem.

grip ¹ British  

/ ɡrɪp /

noun

1. the act or an instance of grasping and holding firmly

   he lost his grip on the slope

2. Also called: handgrip.  the strength or pressure of such a grasp, as in a handshake

   a feeble grip

3. the style or manner of grasping an object, such as a tennis racket

4. understanding, control, or mastery of a subject, problem, etc (esp in such phrases as get or have a grip on )

5. Also called: handgrip.  a part by which an object is grasped; handle

6. Also called: handgrip.  a travelling bag or holdall

7. See hairgrip

8. any device that holds by friction, such as certain types of brake

9. a method of clasping or shaking hands used by members of secret societies to greet or identify one another

10. a spasm of pain

    a grip in one's stomach

11. a worker in a camera crew or a stagehand who shifts sets and props, etc

12. a small drainage channel cut above an excavation to conduct surface water away from the excavation

13. (often foll by with)

    1. to deal with (a problem or subject)

    2. to tackle (an assailant)

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verb

1. to take hold of firmly or tightly, as by a clutch

2. to hold the interest or attention of

   to grip an audience

grip ² British  

/ ɡrɪp /

noun

1. med a variant spelling of grippe

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grip More Idioms  

1. see come to grips with; get a grip on; lose one's grip.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gripper
  noun
• regrip
  verb
• ungrip
  verb
• gripless
  adjective
• grippingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• grips
  plural

Participles

• gripping
  present
• gripped
  past
• gript
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• grip
  simple
• grips
  simple
• have gripped
  perfect
• have gript
  perfect
• has gripped
  perfect
• has gript
  perfect
• am gripping
  progressive
• are gripping
  progressive
• is gripping
  progressive
• have been gripping
  perfect progressive
• has been gripping
  perfect progressive

Past

• gripped
  simple
• gript
  simple
• had gripped
  perfect
• had gript
  perfect
• was gripping
  progressive
• were gripping
  progressive
• had been gripping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will grip
  simple
• will have gripped
  perfect
• will have gript
  perfect
• will be gripping
  progressive
• will have been gripping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of grip

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English gripe “grasp” (noun); cognate with German Griff, Old English gripa “handful”; see gripe

Explanation

To grip something is to hold it firmly. You might grip the TV remote to keep your roommate from trying to change the channel. When you want to hold on to something, you grip it. If your hands are strong and you can hold things well, you have a good grip. Grip is also the roughness or texture of something. A steering wheel has good grip if your hands don't slip while driving. This word can be also be used figuratively. If you’re upset, your friend might tell you to “get a grip” — that is, get a hold of yourself.

Example Sentences

But some residents see it as a scheme by Scientology to tighten its grip on Clearwater.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026

Forecasts, though, call for a hotter-than-usual season, and a heat dome has much of the country in its grip.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026

It seemed counterintuitive to slacken my grip given such a precise goal — to land a slender arrow in the epicenter of a black dot.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2026

There’s the grief, seeping into Maxine’s life and twisting itself around the gratitude, tightening its grip.

From Salon • Jun. 29, 2026

I nod, trying to get a grip on myself.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

Related Words

• control
• domination
• grasp
• influence