1
as in hugged
to put one's arms around and press tightly
clasped his long-lost sister and cried without restraint
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in held
to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms
clasped a crayon and began drawing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clasped
Place your forearms on the ground, with your elbows under your shoulders and palms clasped together, forming a fist.
—
Jakob Roze, Health, 5 Feb. 2026
Each had a sidearm clasped in both hands.
—Scott Eden, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
Upon receiving the news, courtesy of the same NBC broadcast fans watched, Wembanyama smiled and clasped his hands softly together.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 19 Jan. 2026
When Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced him, Combs had his head lowered, with his shoulders hunched and his hands clasped.
—Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026
Gilberg considered the question, hands clasped beneath his chin, the traffic outside humming expectantly.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Smith sits poised, contemplative, his hands clasped together.
—Sam Kestenbaum, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026
The Melania meme showed a closeup of her face with her hands clasped in front, as if in ebullient prayer.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
Elderly neighbors clasped hands and whispered prayers of thanks.
—Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025
Jakob Roze, Health, 5 Feb. 2026
Each had a sidearm clasped in both hands.
—Scott Eden, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
Upon receiving the news, courtesy of the same NBC broadcast fans watched, Wembanyama smiled and clasped his hands softly together.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 19 Jan. 2026
When Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced him, Combs had his head lowered, with his shoulders hunched and his hands clasped.
—Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026
Gilberg considered the question, hands clasped beneath his chin, the traffic outside humming expectantly.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Smith sits poised, contemplative, his hands clasped together.
—Sam Kestenbaum, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026
The Melania meme showed a closeup of her face with her hands clasped in front, as if in ebullient prayer.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
Elderly neighbors clasped hands and whispered prayers of thanks.
—Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clasped
Verb
-
A couple of hours later, the hatches swung open and the seven space travelers hugged and exchanged exuberant high fives.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Hudson turned heads at the The Beverly Hilton red carpet in her off-the-shoulder Erdem silk gown, which hugged her body through the knee and featured an unexpected distressed accent with a raw seam on her neckline and visible stitching on the frayed hem.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The rapper, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, has been held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center since he was arrested in September 2024.—
Daniel S. Levine,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
-
That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Whether Assad grasped this is impossible to know.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
-
And on top of it all, a social platform has merged where the AI agents can gather to compare notes, with implications that have yet to be fully grasped.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Officers detained two men of Indian descent, but local residents stopped the van from leaving the neighborhood; one man even clung to the vehicle after sliding underneath.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Pinheiro Braathen clung on for dear life as his skis slipped through a turn in his second run, almost sending him tumbling.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Society is gripped by disbelief, collective trauma and the aftermath of more than 30,000 deaths.—
Pegah Banihashemi,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Two years after a mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally gripped the city, Reba Paul is still searching for some form of accountability for what happened to her brother.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The protesters took a violent turn at several points during that week.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
In total, the design process took three years to complete with collaboration from several researchers and engineers.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clasped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clasped. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
