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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of clasping
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
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
Use your left hand to stabilize your thigh by clasping the left knee.
—Gerard Hartmann, Outside, 3 Nov. 2025
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
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
Use your left hand to stabilize your thigh by clasping the left knee.
—Gerard Hartmann, Outside, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clasping
Verb
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When the Rockets called a time out, the Lakers bench all ran over to Doncic, hugging him, slapping him and James nudging him for a job very well done.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
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The mother of four stunned, wearing a long-sleeved, figure-hugging metallic dress to walk the red carpet at the Oscars after-party.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Both defenses did a good job, holding the game scoreless through 60 minutes.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The Tigers had their moments, holding leads both early and late — and fans were certainly excited throughout.—
Dominick Williams,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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According to the regulator, clinical trial data showed significant improvements in hand grasping ability among participants.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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Resting on a shelf and clinging to it with its paw, the possum stared ahead cautiously.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
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In 1992, the summer before Esa-Pekka Salonen became music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, he and the orchestra were invited to shake up clinging Austrian tradition.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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My fingers were gripping her apron.—
Dawn Lerman,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
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Authorities say the case highlights the alarming scale and deadly potential of the fentanyl crisis gripping communities across the country.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Mathieu Olivier scored the first goal 44 seconds into the second period, taking a pass from Werenski on a 3-on-2 rush and snapping a shot over the glove of Philadelphia goalie Dan Vladar to tie the score 1-1.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
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Not taking anything for granted.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clasping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clasping. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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