grip

verb

\ ˈgrip

gripped; gripping

Definition of grip

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to seize or hold firmly gripped the door handle

2 : to hold the interest of strongly a story that grips the reader

grip

noun

Definition of grip (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : a strong or tenacious grasp had a good grip on the tennis racket

b : strength in gripping

c : manner or style of gripping the balanced grip of an expert golfer

2a : a firm tenacious hold typically giving control, mastery, or understanding has the country in his grip

b : mental grasp can't seem to get a grip[=gain a good understanding of] on calculus … I'm curious to see if preteens have a grip on this fairly sophisticated concept.— John Hoffman

3 : a part or device for gripping

4 : a part by which something is grasped especially : handle

5 : suitcase

6a : a stage worker who handles scenery, properties, or lights : stagehand

b : a technician on a motion-picture or television set who handles and maintains equipment (such as cameras and their dollies and cranes)

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Examples of grip in a Sentence

Verb

The little boy gripped his mother's hand tightly. I gripped the door handle and pulled as hard as I could. The story really grips the reader. The scandal has gripped the nation.

Noun

His tennis instructor showed him the proper backhand grip. a golfer with an incorrect grip He has been doing all he can to maintain his grip on the company's finances. I need new grips for my golf clubs.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The result is a film that’s in equal measure gripping and frustrating, a work of nonfiction in which the elision of many factual elements, in the interest of compact dramaturgy, makes an extraordinary true story feel fabricated. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, "“Honeyland,” Reviewed: A Gripping, Frustrating Documentary About a Beekeeper’s Fragile Isolation," 1 Aug. 2019 Legacy stared, gripping the tennis ball she’d been tossed. — Melody Chiu, PEOPLE.com, "Get a First Look at Kobe Bryant's Upcoming Young Adult Novel Legacy and The Queen," 26 July 2019 While some readers like brainless romantic books for the beach, others prefer gripping thrillers, like this new release. — Lindsay Tigar, CNN Underscored, "These Amazon best-selling books are the ultimate beach reads," 25 July 2019 The good news is that the heat wave gripping much of the country is subsiding. — Petra Cahill, NBC News, "Iran claims capture of 17 spies, Mueller preview & heat wave relief: The Morning Rundown," 22 July 2019 Some people might prefer griping and swatting to being spritzed with chemicals. — Ask Amy, oregonlive.com, "Ask Amy: Mother-in-law’s friendship with husband’s ex-wife causes family rift," 19 July 2019 Some people might prefer griping and swatting to being spritzed with chemicals. — Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, "Mother-in-law’s friendship with ex is disruptive," 19 July 2019 As the planet warms, heat waves like the one gripping much of the United States will become more common. — Benjamin Storrow, Scientific American, "As Temperatures Soar During Heat Wave, So Will CO2," 19 July 2019 Some people might prefer griping and swatting to being spritzed with chemicals. — Amy Dickinson, The Denver Post, "Ask Amy: Mother-in-law’s friendship with ex is disruptive," 19 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

On the grip of her racket, Legacy’s right hand began to feel hot. — Melody Chiu, PEOPLE.com, "Get a First Look at Kobe Bryant's Upcoming Young Adult Novel Legacy and The Queen," 26 July 2019 With San Francisco in the grips of a housing crisis, the call to build more affordable and teacher units has come from nearly every corner of City Hall, but the mayor and supervisors have often been at odds about how to address the crisis. — Dominic Fracassa, SFChronicle.com, "Breed, supervisors strike a deal over dueling affordable housing measures," 24 July 2019 The outage comes as the Southland is in the grips of a heatwave with the National Weather Service issuing heat advisories for the Santa Clarita, San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys. — Andy Nguyen, Glendale News-Press, "Power outage leaves Glendale residents without power amid heatwave," 24 July 2019 Like much of the country, Arkansas is in the grips of an intense heat wave. — Jill Bleed, chicagotribune.com, "Ex-Giants offensive lineman Mitch Petrus, 32, dies of heat stroke," 19 July 2019 Like much of the country, Arkansas is in the grips of an intense heat wave. — CBS News, "Mitch Petrus, who won Super Bowl XLVI with Giants, dies at age 32 of heat stroke," 19 July 2019 That is a rate of just over 218 people per million, higher than in the United States, which is in the grip of an opioid epidemic. — The Economist, "Politics this week," 18 July 2019 Who doesn't like to switch up their wardrobe without overspending and without falling into the grip of fast fashion? — Bianca Nieves, Teen Vogue, "The 3 Vintage Etsy Shops Teen Vogue Editors Swear By," 3 July 2019 In previous years, Missions pitching coach Fred Dabney would force his players to use the MLB ball once per week, readying them for a potential adjustment to the change in grip. — Greg Luca, ExpressNews.com, "Higher, farther, faster: Missions riding wave of baseball’s home run surge," 28 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'grip.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.