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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clasped
Sitting in a back room at ExtraMile Arena last weekend, Miller clasped hands with old teammate Steve Barrett, who helped pull him to his feet after an hourlong interview with the Statesman.
—
Idaho Statesman, 28 Feb. 2026
As the final seconds ticked down, Bishop’s senior Lotte Lightner clasped the hand of a teammate on the bench and then bounced up to cheer.
—Glae Thien, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
Watching from the center of the oval, Ning clasped his hands in prayer during the final race.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
The two young men, both 21, clasped hands and embraced.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
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
Idaho Statesman, 28 Feb. 2026
As the final seconds ticked down, Bishop’s senior Lotte Lightner clasped the hand of a teammate on the bench and then bounced up to cheer.
—Glae Thien, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
Watching from the center of the oval, Ning clasped his hands in prayer during the final race.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
The two young men, both 21, clasped hands and embraced.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clasped
Verb
-
Men’s jeans were stiff and creased and t-shirts fit close to the body and hugged the biceps but did not squeeze them.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
7 Mar. 2026
-
As the City bench erupted following Erling Haaland’s late winner, Guardiola and Foden hugged each other in a way that a father and son probably would.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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
-
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
-
Marcus Smart and Austin Reaves earned a pair of technical fouls in the second quarter after Celtics small forward Jaylen Brown sent an elbow into Smart’s face on his way to the rim as Boston grasped a 36-33 lead.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Few investors had heard of the World Wide Web, let alone grasped its commercial potential.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The specks of warmth salvaged from the inside of the patrol car, which had clung to his skin under his gray sweatpants and hooded striped sweatshirt, soon fell away.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
8 Mar. 2026
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The Horned Frogs trailed at halftime, but with less than five minutes remaining TCU (29-4) clung to a 62-57 lead.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The chaos that has gripped the oil market looks set to deepen, with more production getting cut as the war in Iran effectively shuts the Strait of Hormuz, and the US considers widening its range of targets in the country.—
Yongchang Chin,
Fortune,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Worries about the war have sidelined other concerns that had gripped the market in recent weeks around private credit risks and the disruptive — potentially disinflationary — impact of artificial intelligence.—
Michael MacKenzie,
Bloomberg,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
He was involved in the negotiations for Hansen's seat, which took four years to obtain as both NASA and CSA policy priorities had to align on the matter, and funding to be obtained.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
After Williams rallied in the second set to tie it, the 23-year-old Parry, ranked 111th in the world, took control and cruised in the third.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clasped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clasped. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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