grip

[grip]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR grip ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

the power of gripping: He has a strong grip.

a grasp, hold, or control.

mental or intellectual hold: to have a good grip on a problem.

competence or firmness in dealing with situations in one's work or personal affairs: The boss is old and is losing his grip.

a special mode of clasping hands: Members of the club use the secret grip.

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

a handle or hilt: That knife has a very unusual grip.

a sudden, sharp pain; spasm of pain.

grippe.

Older Use. a small traveling bag.

Theater.a stagehand, especially one who works on the stage floor.
Movies, Television.a general assistant available on a film set for shifting scenery, moving furniture, etc.

verb (used with object), gripped or gript, grip·ping.

to grasp or seize firmly; hold fast: We gripped the sides of the boat as the waves tossed us about.

to take hold on; hold the interest of: to grip the mind.

to attach by a grip or clutch.

verb (used without object), gripped or gript, grip·ping.

to take firm hold; hold fast.

to take hold on the mind.

Idioms

come to grips with,

to encounter; meet; cope with: She had never come to grips with such a situation before.
to deal with directly or firmly: We didn't come to grips with the real problem.

Origin of grip

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

Related formsgrip·less, adjectivere·grip, verb, re·gripped or re·gript, re·grip·ping.un·grip, verb, un·gripped, un·grip·ping.

Can be confusedgrip gripe grippe

Synonyms for grip

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR grip ON THESAURUS.COM

14. impress, attract, rivet, hold, fascinate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for grip

grasp, restraint, constraint, control, domination, influence, clutch, mesmerize, fascinate, rivet, clamp, hold, hook, cincture, coercion, enclosure, fixing, ligature, gripe, grapple

Examples from the Web for grip

Contemporary Examples of grip

And why did the Western Powers lose their grip in such a spectacular fashion in the decade following the end of the war?
How WWI Produced the Holocaust
J.P. O’Malley
November 21, 2014
“They think Putin is the only evil in Russia and dream about getting rid of him,” he said, tightening his grip on the wheel.
Think Putin’s Bad? Wait for the Next Guy
Anna Nemtsova
November 14, 2014
How is he dealing with both parts of his life escaping his grip?
The Good Wife’s Secret Weapon: Matt Czuchry on Cary Agos’s Terrible, Horrible Year
Kevin Fallon
October 27, 2014
In 1993, the military eased its grip and offered a transition to civilian governance.
The Nigerian Women Who Fight for Democracy
Nina Strochlic
October 1, 2014
As Davies tells it, monogamy did not have much of a grip on the upper levels of public life.
Murdoch on the Rocks: How a Lone Reporter Revealed the Mogul's Tabloid Terror Machine
Clive Irving
August 25, 2014

Historical Examples of grip

And when the wrenching at his forearms ceased he instantly relaxed his grip.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
Only, I—I sort of lost my grip on the way here, with this man by my side.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
Whereupon they shook hands with a grip that whitened their knuckles.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene Stratton-Porter
Peter slammed its door to, crushing them so that he loosed his grip, with a howl.
Fair Margaret
H. Rider Haggard
"Now put your hand up an' grip that rope that's hangin' there," commanded Brad.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown

British Dictionary definitions for grip

grip

noun

the act or an instance of grasping and holding firmlyhe lost his grip on the slope

Also called: handgrip the strength or pressure of such a grasp, as in a handshakea feeble grip

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

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

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

Also called: handgrip a travelling bag or holdall

See hairgrip

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

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

a spasm of paina grip in one's stomach

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

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

get to grips or come to grips (often foll by with)

to deal with (a problem or subject)
to tackle (an assailant)

verb grips, gripping or gripped

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

to hold the interest or attention ofto grip an audience

Derived Formsgripper, noungrippingly, adverb

Word Origin for grip

Old English gripe grasp; related to Old Norse gripr property, Old High German grif

grip

noun

med a variant spelling of grippe

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

Word Origin and History for grip

Old English grippan "to grip, seize, obtain" (class I strong verb; past tense grap, past participle gripen), from West Germanic *gripjan (cf. Old High German gripfen "to rob," Old English gripan "to seize;" see gripe). Related: Gripped; gripping. French gripper "to seize," griffe "claw" are Germanic loan-words.

fusion of Old English gripe "grasp, clutch" and gripa "handful, sheaf" (see grip (v.)). Meaning "stage hand" is from 1888, from their work shifting scenery.

Idioms and Phrases with grip

grip

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