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

Reopening the case as a gripping cold-case investigation, the film follows new leads as the search for accountability intensifies. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 6 May 2026

Told in a myriad of voices and tongues, El Sayed’s gripping debut questions who deserves a new start, whether onboard or on land. —Literary Hub, 1 May 2026

Directed by Debbie Allen, the emotionally gripping play is set in a Pittsburgh boarding house. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 26 Apr. 2026

Most people live lives whose day-to-day features aren’t exactly gripping viewing and whose trajectories are difficult to squeeze into the structures and strictures of serialized television. —David Faris, TheWeek, 24 Apr. 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