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
As Keyla ran around the stage in a black dress adorned with crosses, Richie and Palmer clasped their hands in excitement.
—
Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
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
Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clasped
Verb
-
After the clock struck zero, and Iowa had secured its first Sweet Sixteen berth since 1999, Folgueiras found his mother in the crowd and hugged her.—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The jacket hugged every contour of your torso and never flapped in the wind.—
The Editors,
Outside,
18 Mar. 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
-
Finland grasped this eight years ago.—
Andrew Rasiej,
New York Daily News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The problem is that the general medical community, beyond nephrologists, hasn’t really grasped the extent of the problem.—
Tara Haelle,
Scientific American,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
At their initial meeting, Ejection clung to the conviction that Chalker was a Mossad operative trying to lure him to his death.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Atallah walked to get a clearer view of the telltale plume of smoke indicating where a bomb or missile had hit; the whole way, Mohammad clung to Atallah’s leg.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Rex Heuermann, the man charged with seven of the Gilgo Beach murders that gripped Long Island, New York, is expected to plead guilty next month, according to a source.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Without rain in the forecast for the next seven days, the extreme drought that has gripped the Interstate 35 corridor, including the Austin metro area, parts of the Texas Hill Country and much of the region's watersheds is likely to not only persist but also intensify.—
Roberto Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Knicks were able to close the gap behind 17 first-quarter points from Brunson but Charlotte took command late in the second quarter and pushed the lead to 10 at halftime with a series of 3s from Knueppel, Ball and Miller.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
For 10 minutes, Boyd took in the scene as the flags whipped above the center-field scoreboard, Cubs infielders took grounders and stadium workers finished final preparations before 39,712 fans streamed into the ballpark.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clasped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clasped. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
