CLASPED Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

clasped

verb

past tense of clasp

as in hugged

to put one's arms around and press tightly clasped his long-lost sister and cried without restraint

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in held

to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms clasped a crayon and began drawing

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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 Davis stood with his lawyer as the verdict was read, then sat with his hands clasped on the table. — Jon Haworth, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026 In a 1987 article for the New York Times, Albuquerque jewelry salesman Manny Goodman recalls seeing Native Americans wearing bandanas clasped with silver conches as early as the 1930s. — Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 31 Aug. 2026 The new mothers clasped their babies close as a pack of teenagers ran through the park. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026 In 1975, as Cold War tensions thawed, an American commander and his Soviet counterpart clasped hands in space after their spacecraft docked. — Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026 This gadget from the comics is typically depicted as a metal collar clasped around a mutant’s neck. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 31 July 2026 Unlike Hernandez, all of his digits remained intact, clasped together on the table. — Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 22 July 2026 But here was Bobby, sitting at Jackie’s bedside, perhaps looking at the ground, one wrist clasped in his hand. — Literary Hub, 17 July 2026 Shocked, audience members clasped their hands to their mouths as Gordon described how the increasing physical attacks on judges have changed their lives and affected their families. — Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 11 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for clasped

Verb

Later outside the court, Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, said Clark approached her at the courthouse last week and hugged her following a hearing for co-defendant Jarques Ratliff.

— Sophie Bates, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Taking the stage on Sunday to bestow longtime friend Swift with the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors, Dakota Johnson hugged the award’s winner, who kicked off her acceptance speech by thanking MTV for offering a platform for music videos.

— Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of hugged

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

Definition of held

Verb

For three years, as Israeli bombs made ruins of the ground, some of the trees and vines had clung to life in the spongy layer of clay below.

— Ghada Abdulfattah, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Oct. 2026
The 90-year-old Abbas has clung to power since his own mandate expired in 2009, while Hamas continues to control parts of Gaza three years into a brutal war with Israel.

— Abby Sewell, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of clung

Verb

When visiting Ground Zero, Surdo said he was struck by the scale and the enormity of the destruction and the sulfurish smell, which were two things that couldn’t be grasped by seeing the site on television.

— Andis Robeznieks, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026
Ashton Daniels, who started his career at Stanford and then appeared in four games at Auburn last season, has quickly grasped the offense, according to every testimonial delivered by teammates and FSU offensive coaches since the spring.

— Andre C. Fernandez, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of grasped

Verb

Paris — Students fought running battles with police and several schools were ablaze Friday as a new day of violence gripped France with no end in sight to protests that have rocked the country.

— Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Secondly, as markets remain gripped by concerns around long-term public debt and fiscal sustainability globally, Gower acknowledged that higher bond yields remain a challenge for non-yielding assets like gold.

— Hugh Leask, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of gripped

Verb

Nearly 1,000 runners took this option, and the race charted 652 incidents of injury or illness.

— Vibhu Krishna, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026
The plane descended sharply, losing half its altitude in less than two minutes, before other crew members took control of the Boeing 737 Max and made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

— Victoria Craw, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of took

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clasp

clasped

clasping

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“Clasped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clasped. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of clasped

verb

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