grip 1 of 2

noun

Definition of gripnext
1
as in suitcase
a bag carried by hand and designed to hold a traveler's clothing and personal articles she placed her grip in the train's overhead rack and seated herself comfortably

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2
as in grasp
the act or manner of holding get a better grip on the lid and try to open the jar again

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3
as in understanding
the knowledge gained from the process of coming to know or understand something he has a good grip on basic Spanish grammar and spelling

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4
as in control
the right or means to command or control others a tyrant that keeps the masses tightly in his grip

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5
as in handle
a part by which an implement is held bought new pots with heat-resistant grips

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grip

2 of 2

verb

ˈgrip How to pronounce grip (audio)
1
as in to clutch
to have or keep in one's hands gripped the handlebars tightly and raced down the hill

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2
as in to fascinate
to hold the attention of as if by a spell that true crime story gripped me as much as any whodunit

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3
as in to interest
to hold the attention of that movie will grip any true sports car fan

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to grasp
to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms the baby gripped my fingers and wouldn't let go

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of grip
Noun
That's the day this work stopped feeling theoretical to me and became proof of what's possible once fear loosens its grip. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 And yet, because these companies now underpin so much of modern life, outrage has done remarkably little to loosen their grip. — Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
Verb
The scenes caused by a record heat wave in Northeast Asia illustrate how extreme temperatures have gripped South Korea, North Korea and Japan. — ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026 Their deaths occurred within five days of each other, as the country is gripped by a grueling spell of intense heat. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for grip
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grip
  1. suitcase
  2. grasp
  3. understanding
  4. control
  5. handle
  6. clutch
  7. fascinate
  8. interest
Noun
  • Six compression packing cubes for your suitcase are also included.
    — Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Beloozerov had a suitcase full of cash, nearly a dozen laptops, and a seemingly untraceable ride.
    — Isabelle Chapman, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of suitcase
Noun
  • Nearly every season-three conversation between them was an argument that allowed for the actors’ grasp on these characters to shine and underlined how their bond best reflects the series’ ideas on how power corrupts.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
  • After securing Swift in its grasp, LINK will carefully fire its three ion thrusters, aiming to boost the observatory back to its original orbit over the course of two to three months.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of grasp
Noun
  • This math curriculum, designed around state grade-level standards, prioritizes deeper understanding, rather than memorization, to help students develop conceptual understanding over time, said district spokesperson James Canning.
    — Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Aug. 2026
  • But doing so can unlock new understandings of what the vagus nerve does and how its role changes over time.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of understanding
Noun
  • Not necessarily having control of it, but understanding what Kanan did and how this was going to come back to him.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 Aug. 2026
  • On June 12, Anthropic suspended access to its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models to comply with Commerce Department export controls.
    — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of control
Noun
  • Instead of a single flush handle, these models have two buttons designated for liquid waste only or a combination of liquid and solid waste.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Eastern handles are shorter and thicker, catering more to those who use a Penhold grip, where the head of the paddle is facing down and the paddle is held like a pen.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of handle
Verb
  • Erblin Ademi clutched the photo of his father holding him as a little boy.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The Godfather with a puppet-master’s hand clutching a control bar that looks, ominously, like a cross.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of clutch
Verb
  • Wuest was also fascinated by the themes explored by the film, and couldn’t help but notice parallels to our current moment.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The ongoing sagas of Getz and Hoyer, two executives who got their jobs the old-school Chicago way — with no bothersome hiring searches conducted by their bosses — are ones that continue to fascinate me.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of fascinate
Verb
  • Short trips and conversations with daily contacts, siblings and relatives will interest you.
    — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 10 Aug. 2026
  • But what really interested us with this movie was trying to understand the humanity and searching for and exploring the love and the loyalty to characters to have a dialogue with an audience and not do it for the sake of ego or shock.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of interest

Phrases Containing grip

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grins
grip
gripe
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Cite this Entry

“Grip.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grip. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on grip

Nglish: Translation of grip for Spanish Speakers

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