clutched; clutching; clutches
1
: to grasp or hold with or as if with the hand or claws usually strongly, tightly, or suddenly
He clutched his chest and appeared to be in pain.
2
obsolete
: clench
1
: to seek to grasp and hold
clutched at her hand
2
: to operate an automobile clutch (see clutch entry 2 sense 2a)
1
a
: the claws or a hand in the act of grasping or seizing firmly
a rabbit in the clutch of a hawk
b
: an often cruel or unrelenting control, power, or possession
the fell clutch of circumstance—
W. E. Henley
W. E. Henley
c
: the act of grasping, holding, or restraining
2
a
: a coupling used to connect and disconnect a driving and a driven part (such as an engine and a transmission) of a mechanism
b
: a lever (such as a pedal) operating such a clutch
Depress the clutch to change gears.
3
: a tight or critical situation : pinch
come through in the clutch
4
1
: made or done in a crucial situation
a clutch hit
2
: successful in a crucial situation
a clutch pitcher
a clutch hitter
Synonyms
Verb
Noun (1)
- boiling point
- breaking point
- conjuncture
- crisis
- crossroad(s)
- crunch
- crunch time
- Dunkirk
- emergency
- exigency
- extremity
- flash point
- head
- juncture
- tinderbox
- zero hour
Noun (2)
Examples of clutch in a Sentence
Verb
I had to clutch the counter to keep from falling.
The child clutched her mother's hand firmly.
He had a book clutched in his hand.
Adjective
She scored a clutch basket.
Recent Examples on the WebPranshu Verma, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2023
Making people clutch their pearls over the direct provocation?
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2023
That their veteran depth can supply clutch support both defensively and at the plate.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2023
One night this spring, Emilio crossed the parking lot just before the shift started, clutching his bulky green uniform under his arm and half running to keep up with his older brother.
—Hannah Dreier Meridith Kohut, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023
Season 14 of the Great British Bake Off (or the Great British Baking Show in the US) premiers September 29 on Netflix and lovers of bucolic b-roll of the English countryside and amateur bakers alike are clutching their bundt pans in excitement.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 16 Sep. 2023
Pretending to reel from the news, the senator clutched his head in feigned shock.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 13 Sep. 2023
But pearls are clutched anytime one of the few major differences between NFL and college regulations change.
—Michael Casagrande | McAsagrande@al.com, al, 30 Aug. 2023
Later he was seen clutching his treasured book to his chest.
—Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2023
Vicki Denig, Travel + Leisure, 23 Sep. 2023
Auburn escaped back on the red-eye across the country Sunday morning with a 14-10 win over Cal in an ugly, sloppy performance on the offensive side of the ball, but a wildly clutch day on defense.
—Matt Cohen | McOhen@al.com, al, 11 Sep. 2023
And, of course, in typical Girlfriend style, the color options are clutch.
—Laura Lajiness Kaupke, Women's Health, 9 Aug. 2023
Disposable wipes, toilet paper, and other cleanup supplies are also clutch.
—Korin Miller, SELF, 2 Aug. 2023
The best advice for any travel is to be prepared for the unexpected, so having a semi-formal jacket on hand is always clutch.
—Brad Lanphear, Men's Health, 28 June 2023
Racing is a different beast than track experiences, so Team BRIT Racing has developed a bespoke hand control system to operate the steering, brakes, clutch, throttle, and gearbox of its cars and racing sims.
—Sami Haj-Assaad, Car and Driver, 5 June 2023
For the crowning ceremony, Queen Anne-Marie opted for a navy button down dress with a matching fascinator, clutch, and white gloves.
—Sophie Dweck, Town & Country, 7 May 2023
The free hot dogs were clutch.
—Maria Sherman, SPIN, 22 Mar. 2023
Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 28 Sep. 2023
In slide five, Shayk turned the black button-down into a club 'fit by swapping out her blazer for a Tupac T-shirt and trading in her black clutch for a leather shoulder bag with metal grommets, finally topping off the look with leopard thigh-highs.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 22 Sep. 2023
These aren’t climaxes or catastrophes, but moments: released from the clutch of extremity by the writing’s steady motion, and delivered from specific passions by her dispersal into a we.
—Tobi Haslett, Harper's Magazine, 18 Sep. 2023
The quarterback, who built his reputation on being one of the best clutch players in the NFL, almost pulled off another fourth-quarter comeback win.
—oregonlive, 18 Sep. 2023
The Rays’ bats came up clutch in several instances with two RBI hits with runners in scoring position and the game-winning solo home run from Luke Raley in the seventh.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 14 Sep. 2023
The singer—who presented an award at the ceremony with French Montana—walked the pink carpet conspicuously holding a clutch with a throwback photo of the pair printed on the side.
—Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 13 Sep. 2023
The clutch in turn twists an aluminum-and-ceramic-matrix driveshaft.
—Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 7 Sep. 2023
Trying to break in new quarterbacks and mesh in a clutch of transfers against No. 4 Ohio State was always going to be a tough ask.
—Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Sep. 2023
See More
Verb
Bhiwadi, who was present and could be seen clutching a rifle in Manesar’s video, said Waris died because the car’s steering wheel struck his abdomen during the collision.
—Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2023
Making people clutch their pearls over the direct provocation?
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2023
That their veteran depth can supply clutch support both defensively and at the plate.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2023
One night this spring, Emilio crossed the parking lot just before the shift started, clutching his bulky green uniform under his arm and half running to keep up with his older brother.
—Hannah Dreier Meridith Kohut, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023
Season 14 of the Great British Bake Off (or the Great British Baking Show in the US) premiers September 29 on Netflix and lovers of bucolic b-roll of the English countryside and amateur bakers alike are clutching their bundt pans in excitement.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 16 Sep. 2023
Pretending to reel from the news, the senator clutched his head in feigned shock.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 13 Sep. 2023
But pearls are clutched anytime one of the few major differences between NFL and college regulations change.
—Michael Casagrande | McAsagrande@al.com, al, 30 Aug. 2023
Later he was seen clutching his treasured book to his chest.
—Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2023
Adjective
For me, this looks like my laptop, something to read (magazines are clutch here), my keys, airpods, and sunglasses.
—Vicki Denig, Travel + Leisure, 23 Sep. 2023
Auburn escaped back on the red-eye across the country Sunday morning with a 14-10 win over Cal in an ugly, sloppy performance on the offensive side of the ball, but a wildly clutch day on defense.
—Matt Cohen | McOhen@al.com, al, 11 Sep. 2023
And, of course, in typical Girlfriend style, the color options are clutch.
—Laura Lajiness Kaupke, Women's Health, 9 Aug. 2023
Disposable wipes, toilet paper, and other cleanup supplies are also clutch.
—Korin Miller, SELF, 2 Aug. 2023
The best advice for any travel is to be prepared for the unexpected, so having a semi-formal jacket on hand is always clutch.
—Brad Lanphear, Men's Health, 28 June 2023
Racing is a different beast than track experiences, so Team BRIT Racing has developed a bespoke hand control system to operate the steering, brakes, clutch, throttle, and gearbox of its cars and racing sims.
—Sami Haj-Assaad, Car and Driver, 5 June 2023
For the crowning ceremony, Queen Anne-Marie opted for a navy button down dress with a matching fascinator, clutch, and white gloves.
—Sophie Dweck, Town & Country, 7 May 2023
The free hot dogs were clutch.
—Maria Sherman, SPIN, 22 Mar. 2023
Noun
Saks Fifth Avenue is coming in clutch with its latest can’t-miss deals.
—Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 28 Sep. 2023
In slide five, Shayk turned the black button-down into a club 'fit by swapping out her blazer for a Tupac T-shirt and trading in her black clutch for a leather shoulder bag with metal grommets, finally topping off the look with leopard thigh-highs.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 22 Sep. 2023
These aren’t climaxes or catastrophes, but moments: released from the clutch of extremity by the writing’s steady motion, and delivered from specific passions by her dispersal into a we.
—Tobi Haslett, Harper's Magazine, 18 Sep. 2023
The quarterback, who built his reputation on being one of the best clutch players in the NFL, almost pulled off another fourth-quarter comeback win.
—oregonlive, 18 Sep. 2023
The Rays’ bats came up clutch in several instances with two RBI hits with runners in scoring position and the game-winning solo home run from Luke Raley in the seventh.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 14 Sep. 2023
The singer—who presented an award at the ceremony with French Montana—walked the pink carpet conspicuously holding a clutch with a throwback photo of the pair printed on the side.
—Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 13 Sep. 2023
The clutch in turn twists an aluminum-and-ceramic-matrix driveshaft.
—Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 7 Sep. 2023
Trying to break in new quarterbacks and mesh in a clutch of transfers against No. 4 Ohio State was always going to be a tough ask.
—Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clutch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb and Noun (1)
Middle English clucchen, from Old English clyccan
Noun (2)
alteration of dialect English cletch hatching, brood
First Known Use
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun (1)
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Adjective
1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun (2)
1721, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of clutch was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing clutch
Dictionary Entries Near clutch
Cite this Entry
“Clutch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clutch. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
clutch
2 of 4 noun1
a
: the claws or a hand in the act of grasping
b
: an often cruel or stern power or control
had the enemy in their clutches
2
: a device for gripping an object
3
a
: a coupling used to connect and disconnect a driving and a driven part in machinery
b
: a lever or pedal operating a clutch
4
: a tight or critical situation : pinch
he came through in the clutch
clutch
3 of 4 adjective
: done or doing well in a tight or critical situation
a clutch play
a clutch player
clutch
4 of 4 noun
: a nest or batch of eggs or a brood of chicks
Etymology
Verb
Old English clyccan "to grasp, hold"
Noun
altered form of dialect word cletch "a hatching, brood"
More from Merriam-Webster on clutch
Nglish: Translation of clutch for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of clutch for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about clutch
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