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 on calculus

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)

Other Words from grip Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about grip

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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 flyer, sent out by a Republican candidate for state Senate, depicted his Jewish opponent gleefully gripping fistfuls of cash. — Rachel Withers, Vox, "Trump’s top agriculture official calls Florida’s gubernatorial race “cotton-pickin’ important”," 4 Nov. 2018 When gripping the kettlebell, make sure your elbow is under the kettlebell (not flared out to the side) and your wrist is straight (not bent backward), says DiSalvo. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "Take Your Kettlebell Squats to the Next Level With This Small Tweak From Blake Lively’s Trainer," 6 Sep. 2018 What transpires is ludicrous, if gripping in a pulpy sort of way (a fearsome terrorist inmate is actually a supernatural demon bent on exposing the venality of the authoritarian state). — Taylor Antrim, Vogue, "Which of These New TV International Thrillers Should You Binge?," 30 Aug. 2018 Image In Brazil, forest fires set by farmers and ranchers to clear land for agriculture raged out of control last year, wiping out more than 3 million acres of trees as a severe drought gripped the region. — New York Times, "Tropical Forests Suffered Near-Record Tree Losses in 2017," 27 June 2018 The nonlinear, associative libretto by Yona Kim — who also directed the gripping staging, set in what seems to be a decaying 19th-century salon — swerves from Berlin to Moscow and from Paris to Riga. — New York Times, "Hannah Arendt and Walter Benjamin Don’t Talk. They Sing.," 24 June 2018 In the decades that followed, Turgel would learn English, write a gripping memoir and share her memories of the Holocaust with thousands of schools. — Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, "‘Bride of Belsen’: Holocaust survivor who took care of Anne Frank dies at 95," 11 June 2018 Cecchinato converted on his fourth match point in the gripping fourth-set tiebreak, his backhand return looping in down the line as the Serb served and volleyed. — Ravi Ubha, CNN, "Ailing Novak Djokovic upset by inspired Marco Cecchinato at French Open," 5 June 2018 Read More ‘Strap on.’ Storylines, course are set up for a gripping final round at Quail Hollow Tiger Woods started to turn his game around on Saturday, May 5, 2018 in the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club. — David Scott, charlotteobserver, "Jason Day hits back nine of Wells Fargo Championship with 3-stroke lead | Charlotte Observer," 6 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The gloves are water repellant and offer outstanding grip. — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Work Gloves for Those Cold Winter Months," 29 Oct. 2018 Other conservative Supreme Court nominees would have helped consolidate the privileged's grip on power. — Maya Singer, Vogue, "Who's Up For Burning It All Down?," 6 Oct. 2018 The lat pull with long bar works the same as a normal lat pull, but the wide grip allows her to focus in more on the lats while adding in some variety. — Leah Prinzivalli, SELF, "Jennifer Lopez's 8-Move Arm and Back Workout Is a Total-Body Challenge," 5 Oct. 2018 For example, here's a photo of Prince Charles mid-grip during a walkabout in Northumberland earlier this month. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Did Princess Anne Just Shade Her Brother Prince Charles?," 24 Sep. 2018 Not only because the cast is dominated by women, but also because props and costume and grips and lighting and camera operators are too. — Camilla Akrans; Fashion Editor: Patrick Mackie, Harper's BAZAAR, "Zoë Kravitz Poses Unretouched and Opens Up About Defying Stereotypes," 13 Sep. 2018 The styling cream offers a firm hold, stronger than Jack held onto that floating piece of wood (there was room for two people, Rose!), but not quite as tight as Leo's grip on his model girlfriends. — Leah Prinzivalli, Allure, "Lush Employee Goes Viral for Being Leonardo DiCaprio's Doppelgänger," 15 Aug. 2018 For those who love it like Fraser and Lofgren and their counterparts Friday night, that's more than enough to put a fresh grip on the racquet and lace those sneakers up high and tight. — Adam Baum, Cincinnati.com, "Princeton, Little Miami grads team up and take men's Met doubles championship," 13 July 2018 Critics call it a smokescreen to reduce the judiciary’s independence to ensure the increasingly authoritarian party’s grip on power. — Kristen Chick, The Christian Science Monitor, "By staying on the job, Poland's top judge fights the right-wing government," 13 July 2018

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.