gripping

adjective

grip·​ping ˈgri-piŋ How to pronounce gripping (audio)
: taking a powerful hold upon one's interest or feelings
a gripping thriller
Shabba Ranks has a gripping baritone voice that ranges from bedroom purr to locker-room-boast roar.Mark Coleman
grippingly adverb
a grippingly honest performance

Examples of gripping in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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For viewers who love the wild and bombastic games in Borderland, Saw will be a seriously gripping (and terrifying) franchise to start watching — especially since the traps in Saw often push its victims to some pretty extreme limits, just like in Borderland. Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025 Published in December 2024, The Tiger Slam delivers a gripping, inside-the-ropes account of an astonishing streak of victories that left Woods’ rivals scrambling to keep up. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 26 Sep. 2025 Fonzi’s second directorial outing tells the gripping story of Julieta, a young woman imprisoned after suffering a miscarriage, and Soledad Deza (portrayed by Fonzi herself), the courageous lawyer who dares to fight for justice in this deeply controversial and high-stakes case. Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 25 Sep. 2025 After two gripping seasons, Hulu’s Reasonable Doubt returned this fall with its most high-stakes story yet. Okla Jones, Essence, 25 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gripping

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gripping was in 1896

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Cite this Entry

“Gripping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gripping. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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