grip

[ grip ]

/ grɪp /

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See synonyms for: grip / gripped / gripping / grips 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR grip

14 impress, attract, rivet, hold, fascinate.

See synonyms for grip on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

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Idioms about grip

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

OTHER WORDS FROM grip

gripless, adjectivere·grip, verb, re·gripped or re·gript, re·grip·ping.un·grip, verb, un·gripped, un·grip·ping.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH grip

grip , gripe, grippe

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use grip in a sentence

As Einstein came to grips with Mach’s rejection of relativity, the world of physics was rocked by quantum theory, a revolution Einstein had helped to spark but now refused to join.
When Einstein Tilted at Windmills - Issue 93: Forerunners|Amanda Gefter|November 18, 2020|Nautilus
Together, a robotic hand could use its eyes to scan an object, plan its movements for grasp, and use touch for feedback to adjust its grip.
This Is How We’ll Engineer Artificial Touch|Shelly Fan|November 17, 2020|Singularity Hub
I felt like shouting this to the wind, but my grip on the paddle was slipping with sweat, even as my shirt darkened in the cold, wet air.
My Priceless Summer on a Maine Lobster Boat|Luna Soley|November 11, 2020|Outside Online
On an expedition, an adventurer in the grips of mental distress may be unable to operate at full capacity, may lose focus, and could make dangerous decisions without someone along who’s been trained to help.
Meet the Woman Teaching the Psychology of Survival|Emily Sohn|November 9, 2020|Outside Online

They’re constructed like mountain-bike gloves, with a snug fit, Velcro closures around the wrists, and a synthetic leather palm that gives me a direct interface with my grips.
Best Women's Mountain Bike Gear for Fall Riding|Gloria Liu|November 7, 2020|Outside Online
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Ten years before the brutal genocide, a religious fervor gripped Kibeho as dozens claimed the Virgin Mary had appeared to them.
Did the Virgin Mary Warn Rwanda’s Holiest Town of the Genocide?|Nina Strochlic|April 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But while the country seems gripped by shutdown fever, many tourists from here and abroad had no clue it would affect their plans.
New York’s Tourists Are Laughing at Us|Abby Haglage|October 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A horrible foreboding gripped me, and I quickly knelt down and raised the dog's head.
Uncanny Tales|Various
He gripped the arms of his chair; from where she stood, she could see the veins standing out on his hands.
Uncanny Tales|Various
Paris might have screamed; he would not have swerved a hair's breadth till he had gripped the Golden Horn.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
He gripped Shiv's shoulder convulsively, nearly sending his own car into the ditch by so doing.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
The girl looked at him without speaking, schooling her features to betray nothing of the fear that gripped her heart.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison

British Dictionary definitions for grip (1 of 2)

grip¹

/ (ɡrɪp) /

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 forms of grip

gripper, noungrippingly, adverb

Word Origin for grip

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

British Dictionary definitions for grip (2 of 2)

grip²

/ (ɡrɪp) /

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with grip

grip

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

grip

OTHER WORDS FOR grip

Idioms about grip

Origin of grip

OTHER WORDS FROM grip

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH grip

Words related to grip

How to use grip in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for grip (1 of 2)

Derived forms of grip

Word Origin for grip

British Dictionary definitions for grip (2 of 2)

Other Idioms and Phrases with grip