gripping

adjective

grip·​ping ˈgri-piŋ 

: 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

There are the thrillers — take Good American Family, based upon the case of Natalia Grace; or Under the Banner of Heaven, a gripping exploration of a double murder and its connection to religion; or Under the Bridge, about the 1997 slaying of a 14-year-old girl. —Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026

In fact, this six-episode series about women of a certain age who form a punk band to compete in a local talent competition—and accidentally change their lives in the process—is totally gripping. —Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026

Fuerza Regida masterfully blends heartbreak and dangerous rumors into one gripping track. —Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 30 Jan. 2026

This is as gripping as the film will get. —Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 30 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gripping

• chipping
• clipping
• dipping
• dripping
• flipping
• nipping
• ripping
• shipping
• sipping
• skipping
• slipping
• snipping