grip

[ grip ]

noun

1. the act of grasping; a seizing and holding fast; firm grasp.
2. the power of gripping:

   He has a strong grip.

3. a grasp, hold, or control.
4. mental or intellectual hold:

   to have a good grip on a problem.

5. competence or firmness in dealing with situations in one's work or personal affairs:

   The boss is old and is losing his grip.

6. a special mode of clasping hands:

   Members of the club use the secret grip.

7. something that seizes and holds, as a clutching device on a cable car.
8. a handle or hilt:

   That knife has a very unusual grip.

9. a sudden, sharp pain; spasm of pain.
10. grippe.
11. Older Use. a small traveling bag.
12. 1. Theater. a stagehand, especially one who works on the stage floor.
    2. 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.

1. to grasp or seize firmly; hold fast:

   We gripped the sides of the boat as the waves tossed us about.

2. to take hold on; hold the interest of:

   to grip the mind.

   Synonyms: fascinate, hold, rivet, attract, impress

3. to attach by a grip or clutch.

verb (used without object)

, gripped or gript, grip·ping.

1. to take firm hold; hold fast.
2. to take hold on the mind.

grip

¹

/ ɡrɪp /

noun

1. med a variant spelling of grippe

grip

²

/ ɡrɪp /

noun

1. the act or an instance of grasping and holding firmly

   he lost his grip on the slope

2. Also calledhandgrip the strength or pressure of such a grasp, as in a handshake

   a feeble grip

3. the style or manner of grasping an object, such as a tennis racket
4. understanding, control, or mastery of a subject, problem, etc (esp in such phrases as get or have a grip on )
5. Also calledhandgrip a part by which an object is grasped; handle
6. Also calledhandgrip a travelling bag or holdall
7. See hairgrip
8. any device that holds by friction, such as certain types of brake
9. a method of clasping or shaking hands used by members of secret societies to greet or identify one another
10. a spasm of pain

    a grip in one's stomach

11. a worker in a camera crew or a stagehand who shifts sets and props, etc
12. a small drainage channel cut above an excavation to conduct surface water away from the excavation
13. get to grips or come to grips
    often foll by with
    1. to deal with (a problem or subject)
    2. to tackle (an assailant)

verb

1. to take hold of firmly or tightly, as by a clutch
2. to hold the interest or attention of

   to grip an audience

Derived Forms

• ˈgrippingly, adverb
• ˈgripper, noun

Other Words From

• gripless adjective
• re·grip verb regripped or regript regripping
• un·grip verb ungripped ungripping

Word History and Origins

Origin of grip¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English gripe “grasp” (noun); cognate with German Griff, Old English gripa “handful”; gripe

Word History and Origins

Origin of grip¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. come to grips with,
   1. to encounter; meet; cope with:

      She had never come to grips with such a situation before.

   2. to deal with directly or firmly:

      We didn't come to grips with the real problem.

More idioms and phrases containing grip

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

Example Sentences

Biceps bulging out of a sleeveless shirt, sweaty scalp wrapped in a white bandana, plastered fingers on his left hand gripping a racquet.

From BBC

Their arduous climb back makes for some of the book’s most gripping reading.

From Los Angeles Times

Rather than build a gripping, inclusive liberal patriotism that the country is starving for, Harris fell back on targeting specific groups and complaining that Trump was being divisive.

From Salon

Since 2020, an extreme and exceptional agricultural drought has gripped north-east Syria and parts of Iraq.

From BBC

Locals feared that the proposed bill would trigger an influx of Russian investment, pricing them out of the property market and further strengthening Moscow's grip on the region.

From BBC

Related Words

• fascinate
• mesmerize
• rivet