clutch

1 of 4

verb

ˈkləch 

clutched; clutching; clutches

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

1

: to seek to grasp and hold

clutched at her hand

2

: to operate an automobile clutch (see clutch entry 2 sense 2a)

clutch

2 of 4

noun (1)

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

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

: clutch bag

clutch

3 of 4

adjective

1

: made or done in a crucial situation

a clutch hit

2

: successful in a crucial situation

a clutch pitcher

a clutch hitter

clutch

4 of 4

noun (2)

1

: a nest of eggs or a brood of chicks

2

: group, bunch

talking with a clutch of her friends

a clutch of photographs

a clutch of reporters

Synonyms

Verb

• clench
• cling (to)
• grip
• hold

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)

• array
• assemblage
• band
• bank
• batch
• battery
• block
• bunch
• clot
• clump
• cluster
• collection
• constellation
• group
• grouping
• huddle
• knot
• lot
• muster
• package
• parcel
• passel
• set
• suite

Choose the Right Synonym for clutch

take, seize, grasp, clutch, snatch, grab mean to get hold of by or as if by catching up with the hand.

take is a general term applicable to any manner of getting something into one's possession or control.

take some salad from the bowl

seize implies a sudden and forcible movement in getting hold of something tangible or an apprehending of something fleeting or elusive when intangible.

seized the suspect

grasp stresses a laying hold so as to have firmly in possession.

grasp the handle and pull

clutch suggests avidity or anxiety in seizing or grasping and may imply less success in holding.

clutching her purse

snatch suggests more suddenness or quickness but less force than seize.

snatched a doughnut and ran

grab implies more roughness or rudeness than snatch.

grabbed roughly by the arm

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.

Noun (1)

a football quarterback who always comes through in the clutch

a nation no longer living in the clutch of a cruel tyrant

Adjective

She scored a clutch basket.

Noun (2)

a clutch of medals adorned the general's chest

a clutch of people traveling together

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Ditching the fake blood, the TV star wore a pretty pink prom dress and tiara while clutching a flower bouquet to recreate the chilling scene from the film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. —Kate Hogan, People.com, 31 Oct. 2024

Ball is no stranger to clutch moments and having to lift Charlotte to victory, and last night was no different. —Mikai Bruce, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024

Adjective

The key is familiar enough, but there’s no start button, clutch, or gear change. —Ben Purvis, WIRED, 6 Aug. 2022

Jenkins was particularly clutch, making a three-pointer and dishing out four assists during a 17-3 St. John’s run immediately after Providence took its first lead of the night with under 15 minutes remaining. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2024

Noun

For spring, the bamboo motif was also front and center on a new East-West bag, a clutch, a mini bracelet bag and on necklaces, bracelets and collars. —Booth Moore, WWD, 3 Nov. 2024

There's no clutch lever to deal with, because the motor has a centrifugal clutch and a four-speed box. —New Atlas, 27 Oct. 2024

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

Phrases Containing clutch

• clutch bag
• double-clutch
• friction clutch
• in the clutch

Kids Definition

clutch

1 of 4 verb

ˈkləch 

1

: to grip with or as if with the hand or claws : grasp

2

: to make a grab

clutch at a swinging rope

clutch

2 of 4 noun

1

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"