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Definition of death grip
1 : an extremely tight grip caused especially by fear
2 : hold sense 3b maintained their death grip on overseas markets
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Synonyms & Antonyms for death grip
Synonyms
- arm,
- authority,
- clutch,
- command,
- control,
- dominion,
- grip,
- hold,
- mastery,
- power,
- reign,
- rein(s),
- sway
Antonyms
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Examples of death grip in a Sentence
He drove straight through the storm, never loosening his death grip on the steering wheel.
the cult leader had such a death grip on his followers that all orders were carried out without the slightest objection
Recent Examples on the Web The novel coronavirus’s death grip on the global economy doesn’t bode well for most businesses, advertising included.
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Paris Martineau, Wired, "Ad Dollars Keep Flowing Into Google and Facebook—for Now," 29 Apr. 2020 On the second play date — yes, there should be a second play date — your kid might say a few things to the other child but still, periodically, have a death grip on your leg.
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Melinda Wenner Moyer, New York Times, "How to Support Your Shy Kid," 9 Jan. 2020 Cordyceps essentially turns its host into a zombie slave, compelling the ant to climb to the top of the nearest plant and clamp its tiny jaws in a death grip around a leaf or twig.
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Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Zombifying fungus bypasses the brain to make ants its puppets, study finds," 17 July 2019 Scientists call it the zombie ant death grip and say its 100% real.
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Morgan Hines, USA TODAY, "A 'zombie-ant' fungus is causing bugs to chomp leaves with a literal death grip," 22 July 2019 And since the mere mention of an educational vacation will probably send your darlings screaming from the room with a death grip on their smart phones, what’s a parent to do?
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Juliet Izon, Good Housekeeping, "Why Your Kids Will Love a Trip to Philly as Much as the Magic Kingdom," 30 July 2018 The kid still had his hands sealed in a death grip on the handles.
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Jeff Johnson, Outside Online, "Jeff Johnson on the First Time He Saved a Life," 11 July 2018 But, death grip handshakes aside, Trump has so far been gushingly polite in his dealings with Asian leaders.
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Joseph Hincks / Seoul, Time, "Translating Trump and Kim: Spare a Thought for the Interpreters at the June 12 Summit," 11 June 2018 If this means easing some of that dividend death grip, so be it.
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Anchorage Daily News, "Break the deadlock, tap the fund," 21 Jan. 2018
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'death grip.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for death grip
The first known use of death grip was in 1792
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