clutch

¹

[ kluhch ]

verb (used with object)

1. to seize with or as with the hands or claws; snatch:

   The bird swooped down and clutched its prey with its claws.

2. to grip or hold tightly or firmly:

   She clutched the child's hand as they crossed the street.

   Synonyms: hug, clench, hold, clasp, grasp

3. Slang. to spellbind; grip (a person) emotionally; hold the attention, or interest of:

   Garbo movies really clutch me.

verb (used without object)

1. to try to seize or grasp (usually followed by at ):

   He clutched at the fleeing child. She clutched at the opportunity.

2. Slang. to become tense with fright; panic (sometimes followed by up ):

   I clutched up on the math exam.

3. to operate the clutch in a vehicle.

noun

1. the hand, claw, etc., when grasping.
2. Usually clutches. power of disposal or control; mastery:

   She fell into the clutches of the enemy.

3. the act of clutching; a snatch or grasp.
4. a tight grip or hold.
5. a device for gripping something.
6. Automotive, Machinery.
   1. a mechanism for readily engaging or disengaging a shaft with or from another shaft or rotating part. Compare coupling ( def 2a ).
   2. a control, as a pedal, for operating this mechanism.
7. Sports. an extremely important or crucial moment of a game:

   He was famous for his coolness in pitching in the clutch.

8. any critical position or situation; emergency:

   She kept complete control in the clutch.

9. Also called clutch bag,. a small purse that can be carried in the hand and usually has no handle or strap.

adjective

1. done or accomplished in a critical situation: Without a couple of clutch heals, we would've had a party wipe in that dungeon.

   He sank a clutch shot that won the basketball game.

   Without a couple of clutch heals, we would've had a party wipe in that dungeon.

2. dependable in crucial situations:

   a clutch player.

3. accomplished at the last possible moment or against the odds:

   Phew! That was a clutch win!

4. of or relating to a person, especially a player, who delivers under difficult conditions or at a crucial moment:

   Their quarterback is showing his clutch gene this season.

5. (of a coat) without fasteners; held closed in front by one's hand or arm.

interjection

1. (used to celebrate something that is found or is available fortuitously, at just the right moment):

   When my phone died, the guy at the next table loaned me his charger. Clutch!

clutch

²

[ kluhch ]

noun

1. a hatch of eggs; the number of eggs produced or incubated at one time.
2. a brood of chickens.
3. a number of similar individuals:

   a clutch of books; a whole clutch of dancers.

verb (used with object)

1. to hatch (chickens).

clutch

¹

/ klʌtʃ /

verb

1. tr to seize with or as if with hands or claws
2. tr to grasp or hold firmly
3. intrusually foll byat to attempt to get hold or possession (of)

noun

1. a device that enables two revolving shafts to be joined or disconnected as required, esp one that transmits the drive from the engine to the gearbox in a vehicle
2. a device for holding fast
3. a firm grasp
4. a hand, claw, or talon in the act of clutching

   in the clutches of a bear

5. often plural power or control

   in the clutches of the Mafia

6. Also calledclutch bag a handbag without handles

clutch

²

/ klʌtʃ /

noun

1. a hatch of eggs laid by a particular bird or laid in a single nest
2. a brood of chickens
3. informal.
   a group, bunch, or cluster

verb

1. tr to hatch (chickens)

Other Words From

• clutch·ing·ly adverb
• clutch·y adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of clutch¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English clucchen, variant of clicchen, Old English clyccan “to clench”

Origin of clutch²

First recorded in 1715–25; variant of cletch (now dialectal); akin to Scots cleck “to hatch,” from Old Norse klekja “to hatch”

Word History and Origins

Origin of clutch¹

Old English clyccan; related to Old Frisian kletsie spear, Swedish klyka clasp, fork

Origin of clutch²

C17 (Northern English dialect) cletch, from Old Norse klekja to hatch

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. come in clutch, to deliver or perform what is needed at just the right time or at the last possible moment:

   I missed the bus, which would've made me late for my interview, but a neighbor came in clutch and gave me a ride.

2. in the clutch, in a crucial, must-win, make-or-break moment:

   You need subs who can come off the bench and score in the clutch.

More idioms and phrases containing clutch

see grasp (clutch) at straws .

Synonym Study

See catch.

Example Sentences

Justin Herbert had an extraordinary first half before the Chargers slumped and blew a 21-point lead to the Bengals, but the quarterback was clutch in the end.

From Los Angeles Times

On a Friday night in September 1971, a group of men, clutching sandwiches and flasks of tea, made their way into SAC, a leather goods shop on Baker Street.

From BBC

A clutch Davis triple on the other leading to a collective groan.

From Los Angeles Times

Or she’s clutching an "ibende" - a long wooden stick that over the years she has used to pound millet or cassava or maize.

From BBC

So, cry if you must, wring your hands, clutch your pearls and then get back into it.

From Salon

About This Word

What else does clutch mean?

In slang, clutch refers to something done (well) in a crucial situation, such as a clutch play in sports that pushes a team into victory.

More broadly, clutch can characterize something as “excellent” or “effective.”

Where did the term clutch come from?

The word clutch is found in Middle English, meaning “to grasp something tightly,” especially in one’s metaphoric clutches, or “claws.” A woman’s clutch bag, or clutch, is recorded in the 1940s. It’s a small, usually strapless purse she must clutch to carry.

The slang modifier clutch, for “done well in a crucial situation,” appears to originate in sports, particularly baseball. A sports clutch, in noun form, is a high-pressure moment that can determine the outcome of a game. This dates back to at least the 1920s and is metaphorical (i.e., the moment at which something has or is in something’s clutch, or “grip” or “control”).

As Life magazine memorably used the term in 1951: “And when it came to the clutch, Johnny Mize, who was washed up five years ago, would crack out a pinch double, or Mickey Mantle, who is not yet ready for the big leagues, would slam out a home run.” Moments can be clutch, as can players, plays, or calls—they all make a difference at key points in a game, especially near the end.

Clutch evolved in the 1980–90s to mean something that happened exactly where and when you needed it (e.g., coming in clutch). Such a thing is extremely desirable, and so by extension, clutch came to mean “excellent” or “effective” more generally.

By at least 2010, video gamers turned clutch into a verb for winning a game under pressure, as in clutching is my favorite part of the game. This use of clutch is especially prevalent in first-person shooters such as CounterStrike, Call of Duty, and Fortnite, but it also surfaces in games like Pokémon.

How to use the term clutch

The everyday clutch is everywhere. If you’re clutching your pearls because you’re in the clutches of anger about the clutch of your manual transmission car, be sure not to drop your clutch.

The sports slang clutch is also everywhere, compelling a writer for sports website The Bleacher Report to call it “the most overused term in sports” in 2009. A player who clinches a win at the very last moment is said to have come in clutch. Another player could be said to amp it up in the clutch.

Lou Will: Forever Clutch 👌 pic.twitter.com/bIPrSvtCw5

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 4, 2018

Two #OKState returners and two clutch home runs.

Last night was a strong start to the fall for both @elise_lebeouf and @Sydneyp_21! 💪 pic.twitter.com/E5iLRB0B6E

— OSU Cowgirl Softball (@CowgirlSB) September 28, 2018

The broader slang clutch, for “great at just the right moment,” also commonly appears in the phrase come in clutch or come through (in the) clutch. It can also just be a modifier on it’s own (e.g., That pizza at 2am was so clutch).

I got leftover pizza at the crib #Clutch

— Slow Jams Dan (@WakeUpDanny) December 3, 2018

Gamers also use clutch to describe winning a tough game or tough round as having clutched it.

More examples of clutch:

“It was just the latest in an increasingly unbelievable series of clutch hits from the guy White Sox fans have fallen in love with during this rebuilding season. He now has 10 hits, two doubles, six homers and 13 RBIs in the ninth inning this season. Heck, it wasn’t even the first time he’s walked off these Indians this season.”
—Vinnie Duber, NBC, September 2018

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.