as in clutched
to have or keep in one's hands
clenched a tissue in his hands as he told his story of misfortune
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Recent Examples of clenched
Vande Kolk clenched his teeth to avoid crying.
—
Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Her purplish hands remained clenched on her chest.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
To estimate 10 degrees in the sky, use the width of your clenched first held at arm's length.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
As a model named Carl, stuck in a relationship corrupted by microcelebrity and Instagram view counts, Dickinson ticks with exasperation and sarcastic logic, his jaw clenched, his eyes wide and staring.
—Carrie Battan, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Lalay, a 15-foot crocodile, was not amused and spent half an hour thrashing around with the man’s leg clenched in her teeth, until the park owner clocked her over the head with a block of concrete to get her to let go.
—Kassondra Cloos, Outside, 10 Sep. 2025
Yang Guoliang said, his hands clenched in fists.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
With his jaw clenched and sights set on being the next James Bond, Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Major Will Tranter, a bomb disposal pro who’s both an ace sniper and a bit of a loose cannon, breaking protocol in his obsessive attempt to deactivate the vintage ordnance with minimal casualties.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
The result was a tension-release rally in a market that wasn’t all that clenched-up to begin with.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2025
Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Her purplish hands remained clenched on her chest.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
To estimate 10 degrees in the sky, use the width of your clenched first held at arm's length.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
As a model named Carl, stuck in a relationship corrupted by microcelebrity and Instagram view counts, Dickinson ticks with exasperation and sarcastic logic, his jaw clenched, his eyes wide and staring.
—Carrie Battan, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Lalay, a 15-foot crocodile, was not amused and spent half an hour thrashing around with the man’s leg clenched in her teeth, until the park owner clocked her over the head with a block of concrete to get her to let go.
—Kassondra Cloos, Outside, 10 Sep. 2025
Yang Guoliang said, his hands clenched in fists.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
With his jaw clenched and sights set on being the next James Bond, Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Major Will Tranter, a bomb disposal pro who’s both an ace sniper and a bit of a loose cannon, breaking protocol in his obsessive attempt to deactivate the vintage ordnance with minimal casualties.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
The result was a tension-release rally in a market that wasn’t all that clenched-up to begin with.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clenched
Verb
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Knickers were twisted and pearls clutched.—
Dana O'Neil,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
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Bars and restaurants were already riddled with screens before everyone at the table also clutched one in their hand.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Canada was gripped by the World Series last month and early in November as the Blue Jays, the country’s only MLB team, came agonizingly close to upsetting the Dodgers juggernaut.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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The raccoon, who had wrapped both paws around the cone and whose legs gripped the bottom of the cone, eventually slipped off and fell back into the water, just as DeLeo got close to pulling him to safety.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Clenched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clenched. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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