grab hold of
idiom
: to quickly take and hold (someone or something) with the hand or arms
She grabbed hold of his arm.
He grabbed hold of a tree branch and pulled himself out of the water.
Examples of grab hold of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Many are tired of having daily arguments about technologies that were designed to grab hold of their children’s attention and not let go.
—
Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024
Maybe the trick is to recognize and grab hold of them when the inspiration hits you?
—Jeryl Brunner, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
Humiliation had not dented his faith in artistic greatness, or in his own ability to grab hold of it.
—Sam Sacks, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2023
The handmade glass buttons on Prieto’s upholstered benches are especially striking: They were cast from pebbles, and the stitches holding them down grab hold of grooves rather than the usual little holes.
—Curbed, 7 Apr. 2023
Tuffy, however, was able to grab hold of the side of the nest and haul herself back in.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2023
Another chilling consideration is that Carlson, who has made cable-news history with his ratings, had to grab hold of himself to curb his inner bloodlust.
—Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2021
San Francisco’s cable cars grab hold of moving cables under the street, which are powered by static engines.
—Daniel C. Schlenoff, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2020
Because once the god has slipped past on his winged feet, the back of his head is sleek and hairless, nowhere to grab hold of.
—Rumaan Alam, The New Republic, 21 June 2023
Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024
Maybe the trick is to recognize and grab hold of them when the inspiration hits you?
—Jeryl Brunner, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
Humiliation had not dented his faith in artistic greatness, or in his own ability to grab hold of it.
—Sam Sacks, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2023
The handmade glass buttons on Prieto’s upholstered benches are especially striking: They were cast from pebbles, and the stitches holding them down grab hold of grooves rather than the usual little holes.
—Curbed, 7 Apr. 2023
Tuffy, however, was able to grab hold of the side of the nest and haul herself back in.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2023
Another chilling consideration is that Carlson, who has made cable-news history with his ratings, had to grab hold of himself to curb his inner bloodlust.
—Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2021
San Francisco’s cable cars grab hold of moving cables under the street, which are powered by static engines.
—Daniel C. Schlenoff, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2020
Because once the god has slipped past on his winged feet, the back of his head is sleek and hairless, nowhere to grab hold of.
—Rumaan Alam, The New Republic, 21 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grab hold of.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near grab hold of
Cite this Entry
“Grab hold of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grab%20hold%20of. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
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