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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clasping
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
Grejo snapped his fingers for the cigarettes to be passed and lit one, but after a single long drag, Adi noticed, never smoked it again, instead clasping it between his fingers like a personal incense stick.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
After the speakers concluded, the crowd lingered, hugging and clasping hands before police announced the parking lot would be closed.
—Uwa Ede-Osifo, Dallas Morning News, 11 Jan. 2026
Flex your left knee at a 90-degree angle and place the rope around the mid-foot, clasping the rope with the right hand.
—Gerard Hartmann, Outside, 3 Nov. 2025
Next page, clasping hands with Schweitzer in her satin, white wedding dress with a rose bouquet.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025
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
Grejo snapped his fingers for the cigarettes to be passed and lit one, but after a single long drag, Adi noticed, never smoked it again, instead clasping it between his fingers like a personal incense stick.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
After the speakers concluded, the crowd lingered, hugging and clasping hands before police announced the parking lot would be closed.
—Uwa Ede-Osifo, Dallas Morning News, 11 Jan. 2026
Flex your left knee at a 90-degree angle and place the rope around the mid-foot, clasping the rope with the right hand.
—Gerard Hartmann, Outside, 3 Nov. 2025
Next page, clasping hands with Schweitzer in her satin, white wedding dress with a rose bouquet.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clasping
Verb
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Tuttle attended the screening of A Letter To David – The Complete Version and, following the conservative backlash this week, Shoval posted a picture of the festival director hugging him before the 2025 premiere.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Feb. 2026
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The loafer is made with an arch-hugging insole that supports your foot’s natural alignment to keep foot fatigue away.—
Jasmine Gomez,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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To cope, Sesko practices box-breathing to calm himself, a technique involving four four-second phases of breathing in, holding your breath before exhaling, and then holding again.—
Ian Irving,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Ryan said Thursday that the man had been wearing orange booties issued by the county holding center, rather than proper shoes suitable for winter weather.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Eventually, the fighting commenced with a flurry of slapping, pushing, and grasping; sumo can look like brawling or ballet, a display of brute force or a mastery of martial-arts techniques that share their origins with judo and aikido.—
Joshua Hunt,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
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These protagonists were classic show-business aspirants who, having come to Los Angeles to be within grasping distance of their dreams, fell, in the interim, into service work.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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His return comes at an opportune time, with the Panthers clinging to fading hopes of reaching the Stanley Cup playoffs to try to win a third consecutive title and with injuries still hampering the team.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
1 Mar. 2026
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Unlike John Cornyn, who’s become a desperate shell of a man clinging to power, my campaign is not about attacking someone else’s family.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Iran’s decision to expands its attacks to major regional oil infrastructure adds a new element to the war gripping the Middle East, directly targeting the lifeblood of the area’s economy.—
Jon Gambrell,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2026
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Alongside more standard dramatic fare like Chloé Zhao’s weepy Shakespeare film Hamnet and the quietly powerful adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella Train Dreams, the list also includes Paul Thomas Anderson’s gripping political thriller One Battle After Another.—
Meg Walters,
Glamour,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Fox has been taking supplements for nearly 20 years, and finds this one to be unique due to its comprehensive blend of powerhouse, natural ingredients.—
Emily Orofino,
Vogue,
4 Mar. 2026
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Maiava has spent much of the past two months trying to build a connection with young players on both sides of the ball, taking them out to dinners, watching film with them, walking through the playbook and even conducting players-only sessions on the practice field.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clasping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clasping. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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