grip
Americannoun
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grips
plural
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the act of grasping; a seizing and holding fast; firm grasp.
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the power of gripping.
He has a strong grip.
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a grasp, hold, or control.
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mental or intellectual hold.
to have a good grip on a problem.
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competence or firmness in dealing with situations in one's work or personal affairs.
The boss is old and is losing his grip.
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a special mode of clasping hands.
Members of the club use the secret grip.
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something that seizes and holds, as a clutching device on a cable car.
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a handle or hilt.
That knife has a very unusual grip.
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a sudden, sharp pain; spasm of pain.
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Older Use. a small traveling bag.
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Theater. a stagehand, especially one who works on the stage floor.
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Movies, Television. a general assistant available on a film set for shifting scenery, moving furniture, etc.
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verb (used with object)
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grips,
present (3rd person singular)
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gripped,
past participle, past
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gript,
past participle, past (Archaic)
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gripping
present participle
verb (used without object)
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grips,
present (3rd person singular)
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gripped,
past participle, past
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gript,
past participle, past (Archaic)
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gripping
present participle
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to take firm hold; hold fast.
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to take hold on the mind.
idioms
noun
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the act or an instance of grasping and holding firmly
he lost his grip on the slope
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Also called: handgrip. the strength or pressure of such a grasp, as in a handshake
a feeble grip
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the style or manner of grasping an object, such as a tennis racket
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understanding, control, or mastery of a subject, problem, etc (esp in such phrases as get or have a grip on )
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Also called: handgrip. a part by which an object is grasped; handle
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Also called: handgrip. a travelling bag or holdall
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See hairgrip
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any device that holds by friction, such as certain types of brake
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a method of clasping or shaking hands used by members of secret societies to greet or identify one another
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a spasm of pain
a grip in one's stomach
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a worker in a camera crew or a stagehand who shifts sets and props, etc
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a small drainage channel cut above an excavation to conduct surface water away from the excavation
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(often foll by with)
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to deal with (a problem or subject)
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to tackle (an assailant)
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verb
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to take hold of firmly or tightly, as by a clutch
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to hold the interest or attention of
to grip an audience
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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gripsimple
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gripssimple
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have grippedperfect
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have griptperfect
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has grippedperfect
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has griptperfect
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am grippingprogressive
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are grippingprogressive
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is grippingprogressive
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have been grippingperfect progressive
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has been grippingperfect progressive
Past
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grippedsimple
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griptsimple
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had grippedperfect
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had griptperfect
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was grippingprogressive
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were grippingprogressive
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had been grippingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing grip
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:
Those modifications cause the histones to loosen their grip on DNA, opening up access for transcription factors that are needed to turn genes on.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
In those areas the group maintains a tight grip, clamping down on dissent and still recruiting fighters.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Nvidia, whose grip as the dominant supplier of chips that power AI has made it the world’s most-valuable company, has jumped 4.5% in the past week to a new all-time high.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
As with all Sphere acts, that visual wattage can absolutely grip you, or it can feel using a flamethrower to grill.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
To his horror he felt his hands beginning to lose their grip.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
“He stole a motorcycle and rode it around. He almost knocked a bunch of grips and gaffers off their ladders,” André recalled in 2023.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
U.S. markets seem a bit off to many observers lately: Bonds are in the grips of a punishing selloff, driving yields to roughly two-decade highs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
But the Fife town is in the grips of an affordable housing crisis, where property prices are being stoked by the influence of wealthy buyers from outwith Scotland.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Fairley has had to come to grips with the new reality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
As Nansi grips it, the tablet glows a harsh yellow.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Many of the beautiful, sometimes ingenious products and technologies developed with the rise of the modern era gripped the popular imagination and made life easier, healthier and more connected.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world and remains gripped by a vast humanitarian crisis.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
The historic $110 billion Hollywood tie-up comes as a powerful selloff in long-dated Treasurys has gripped financial markets, pushing up benchmark yields to their highest levels since 2002.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
Anthropic’s timing shifted as a debate over AI’s safety and the potential for AI agents going rogue gripped the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
So he gripped the ridge of the scales and flattened himself against the dragon’s back, and with great gusts of wind buffeting at his ears, they rose together.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
And first gaed by the black, black steed, And then gaed by the broun; But fast she gript the milk-white steed, And pu'd the rider doun.
From Ballad Book by Katherine Lee Bates
And first gaed by the black black steed, And then gaed by the brown; But fast she gript the milk-white steed, And pu'd the rider down.
From Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, Volume 2 Consisting of Historical and Romantic Ballads, Collected in The Southern Counties of Scotland; with a Few of Modern Date, Founded Upon Local Tradition by Sir Walter Scott
The thumbs should be locked, the knees slightly bent, and the edge of the diving-board gript well with the toes.
From Swimming Scientifically Taught A Practical Manual for Young and Old by Frank Eugen Dalton
And first gaed by the black black steed, And then gaed by the brown; 205 But fast she gript the milk-white steed, And pu'd the rider down.
From English and Scottish Ballads, Volume I (of 8) by Various
Well, altogether gript by the being of love.
From Emblems Of Love by Lascelles Abercrombie
And so it is in Mr. Richardson’s profound and gripping narrative.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Yet the deep selloff gripping the $31.5 trillion Treasury market isn’t putting the year’s biggest M&A deal in jeopardy.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
“The Visit,” set in motion by a gripping premise, slightly overstays its welcome.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
The key stories of a gripping race at Monza were:
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
He waved the fingers of one hand, gripping tightly to the rope of his crab trap with the other.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
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.
