1
as in hugging
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 holding
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 clasping
In one segment, when Kimmel and McNearney pick up a hitchhiking Olivia Rodrigo while taking the family to school, Jane shows off her personality, clasping her hands over her mouth in disbelief when Rodrigo enters the car, only to sing-along with the pop star on her way to school.
—
ABC News, 12 May 2026
McDaniels held onto Murray for dear life — often literally clasping his jersey — as the Nuggets tried to run him off every conceivable screen.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
The june bug falls to the bottom of the bag but manages to recover from a new round of kicking by clasping to a leaf.
—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
Others showed baby Spero clasping his tiny hand around Graham's finger and slumbering with a smile on his face.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Mar. 2026
Back at the gathering, there were Martha’s groans and Gretchen’s anger, and there was Mike, clasping his chest—a heart attack?
—Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Olympic nails have been seen clasping medals on more than one occasion.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
Then the beetle seeks out an ant — climbing on top of it, clasping its antennae in its jaws and scooping up its pheromones with brush-like legs.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
To keep the jewelry clean, Glasser covered them in bubblegum wrappers, removing them before clasping the dress in place.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 3 Feb. 2026
ABC News, 12 May 2026
McDaniels held onto Murray for dear life — often literally clasping his jersey — as the Nuggets tried to run him off every conceivable screen.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
The june bug falls to the bottom of the bag but manages to recover from a new round of kicking by clasping to a leaf.
—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
Others showed baby Spero clasping his tiny hand around Graham's finger and slumbering with a smile on his face.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Mar. 2026
Back at the gathering, there were Martha’s groans and Gretchen’s anger, and there was Mike, clasping his chest—a heart attack?
—Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Olympic nails have been seen clasping medals on more than one occasion.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
Then the beetle seeks out an ant — climbing on top of it, clasping its antennae in its jaws and scooping up its pheromones with brush-like legs.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
To keep the jewelry clean, Glasser covered them in bubblegum wrappers, removing them before clasping the dress in place.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clasping
Verb
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On a 75-mile cliff-hugging stretch of highway in California, traffic is way up, despite soaring gas prices.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
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Now the latest batch of eaux de parfum is noticeably lighter, hugging the skin rather than announcing its presence.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
3 June 2026
Verb
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The National Federation of Independent Business has warned that small businesses and consumers who rely on energy, rather than oil giants, will end up holding the bag.—
Yaël Ossowski,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
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Ahead of the endorsement vote, Klobuchar supporters holding batons with flashing green lights dominated the convention floor.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Another project, Grasp-MPC, focused on robotic grasping in cluttered environments.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
28 May 2026
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Lovebugs are vegetarians who feed on pollen and nectar and lack the speed, the jaws and grasping legs to catch and slaughter a mosquito.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Here, as ever, Kokopeli suggests that clinging to youthful talismans offers no protection against uncertainty, and reasserts the odd mix of disaffection and morbid glee produced by such reactionary impulses.—
Theo Belci,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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The company ceased clinging exclusively to Windows and aggressively pivoted toward cloud computing, artificial intelligence and open platforms.—
Veronica Angela,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Footage released by Xinhua shows humanoid robots gripping parcels from containers and placing them onto sorting lines, while autonomous forklifts transport loads through the warehouse floor.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
30 May 2026
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The deadly heat wave gripping northwest Europe is set to intensify in Spain and France, lifting power demand for cooling and threatening fresh temperature records.—
Joe Wertz,
Bloomberg,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Several Republican primaries are taking place Tuesday in South Dakota, where Democrats have been shut out of statewide office since 2015.—
Washington Post staff,
Washington Post,
3 June 2026
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The Peninsula swimming pool is among the best in the city; there's no better way to beat the heat in this famously hot capital than by taking a dip right on the river.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clasping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clasping. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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