gripping

1 of 2

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

gripping

2 of 2

present participle of grip entry 1

Examples of gripping in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The other three Dazzle Dry steps—a cleansing alcohol primer, a gripping base coat, and a wear-elongating top coat—are integral to nails that won’t chip for weeks. — Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 7 Sep. 2026

At the same time, each frame builds upon the last to create a gripping, caustically funny narrative about patriarchy, disempowerment and compliance. — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Most of the time — most memorably during the film’s gripping, dialogue-free heist sequence — Melville does this without words at all. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026

Dolly Parton & Pentatonix Though the 1973 original didn’t score a Grammy despite its two nominations, this gripping collaboration between the queen of country and the a cappella band Pentatonix nabbed the song a trophy in 2017. — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1896, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gripping

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