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
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2
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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Recent Examples of clasped
Later, the family clasped hands and prayed in a circle.
—
Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2025
So the film only makes sense when those two things are clasped together.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2025
Near Rolles, a half dozen women stood by parked cars, rosary beads clasped, heads lowered in prayer.
—Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2025
His knuckles were raw white, all tense and clasped on his knees.
—Literary Hub, 3 Oct. 2025
The rapper sat with his hands clasped and his eyes downcast as the sentence was ready out at a federal court in Manhattan on Friday.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
When Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced him, Combs had his head lowered, with his shoulders hunched and his hands clasped.
—Elizabeth Rosner, PEOPLE, 3 Oct. 2025
Combs, 55, reportedly clasped his hands and cast his eyes downward as Judge Arun Subramanian handed down the sentence in Federal District Court in Manhattan.
—Oliver Gettell, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Oct. 2025
Hosting the once sleepy regional economic and security body, Chinese leader Xi Jinping clasped hands with Russia President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and met with 18 other leaders from across the Eurasian continent.
—Jeffrey Prescott, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2025
Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2025
So the film only makes sense when those two things are clasped together.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2025
Near Rolles, a half dozen women stood by parked cars, rosary beads clasped, heads lowered in prayer.
—Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2025
His knuckles were raw white, all tense and clasped on his knees.
—Literary Hub, 3 Oct. 2025
The rapper sat with his hands clasped and his eyes downcast as the sentence was ready out at a federal court in Manhattan on Friday.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
When Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced him, Combs had his head lowered, with his shoulders hunched and his hands clasped.
—Elizabeth Rosner, PEOPLE, 3 Oct. 2025
Combs, 55, reportedly clasped his hands and cast his eyes downward as Judge Arun Subramanian handed down the sentence in Federal District Court in Manhattan.
—Oliver Gettell, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Oct. 2025
Hosting the once sleepy regional economic and security body, Chinese leader Xi Jinping clasped hands with Russia President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and met with 18 other leaders from across the Eurasian continent.
—Jeffrey Prescott, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clasped
Verb
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Nail hugged his defense attorneys Julia Fox and Andrew Ganz after the court clerk read the verdict.—
Cameron Macdonald,
Mercury News,
15 Oct. 2025
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After the woman thanked her, hugged her, and left, O’Connell never heard from her again.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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This time was his time and with Gordon off the pitch, Woltemade grasped it and clung to it.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Appiah argues that the idea of free speech is best grasped negatively, by asking what happens when the ability of a government to impose restrictions isn’t so restricted.—
Lula Konner,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Gomez clung to summer style in a white sundress.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
10 Oct. 2025
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This time was his time and with Gordon off the pitch, Woltemade grasped it and clung to it.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The group has grown from 35 member organizations to 75 in the four and a half years since statue-toppling gripped America.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
13 Oct. 2025
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Theresa is easy not to notice in everyday life, and Keaton tapped into that ordinariness, along with the wanderlust that gripped so many discontented antiheroes of the 1970s.—
Tim Grierson,
Rolling Stone,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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With the Chiefs facing fourth-and-3 inside the 10-yard-line, kicker Harrison Butker took a couple of steps off the sideline before Reid waved him back.—
Sam McDowell
October 13,
Kansas City Star,
13 Oct. 2025
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Henninger took her concerns to the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed suit in April, saying the administration's actions violated the First Amendment.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clasped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clasped. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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