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

Examples from the Web for gripped

Contemporary Examples of gripped

Perhaps the worst fallout from all this is that when we are gripped by fear, we usually make terrible decisions.
Ebola, ISIS, the Border: So Much to Fear, So Little Time!
Gene Robinson
November 2, 2014
No one should be given a lethal prescription of drugs when they are gripped by mental illness or in a temporary depression.
On Her Own Terms: Why Brittany Maynard Has Chosen to Die
Gene Robinson
October 12, 2014
Hollywood is gripped by an obsession so all-consuming that no blockbuster is safe from its brooding influence.
The Ghastly ‘Maleficent’ and Why It’s Time For Hollywood to Kill the Dark Reboot
Andrew Romano
May 31, 2014
Throughout the season premiere, Saul is gripped by indecision—with his wife, with the operation in Caracas.
‘Homeland’ Showrunner: ‘We Knew We Had to Plot a New Course’
Andrew Romano
September 30, 2013
With Congress gripped by gridlock, Obama hinted that, where possible, the executive branch would act on his own.
Obama Pivots to Economy in Lengthy Speech
Sarah Langs
July 24, 2013

Historical Examples of gripped

He gripped the pistols by the barrels, crossed them, and presented the butts to Austin.
Viviette
William J. Locke
My heart almost stopped beating, gripped by triumph and horror.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
It gripped and shook him and made his heart ache with a delicious pain.
Dust
Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
Kingozi's heart bounded, and his knuckles whitened as he gripped his rifle.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
He gripped her more firmly, and turned his head slightly toward Phoebe.
Good Indian
B. M. Bower

British Dictionary definitions for gripped

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 gripped

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.

grip

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 gripped

grip

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

grip

noun

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

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

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Idioms

Origin of grip

Synonyms for grip

Examples from the Web for gripped

Contemporary Examples of gripped

Historical Examples of gripped

grip

noun

verb grips, gripping or gripped

Word Origin for grip

grip

noun

grip

grip

grip