as in clutching
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 clenching
In the premiere, Rue and Faye run drugs across the border, clenching their butts to hold bags of fentanyl in their digestive tract for as long as possible.
—
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
Protect against teeth grinding, clenching and enamel damage with custom dental solutions from ClearClub.
—Tory Johnson, ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
Melvin Council stood amid a crowd of his Kansas teammates, clenching a black belt in his fist.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 25 Jan. 2026
Wole faced fixedly forward, both fists clenching the steering wheel.
—David Wright Faladé, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
Protect against teeth grinding, clenching and enamel damage with custom dental solutions from ClearClub.
—Tory Johnson, ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
Melvin Council stood amid a crowd of his Kansas teammates, clenching a black belt in his fist.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 25 Jan. 2026
Wole faced fixedly forward, both fists clenching the steering wheel.
—David Wright Faladé, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clenching
Verb
-
Reds closer Emilio Pagán came in to start the ninth and fell to the ground clutching his left hamstring after throwing one pitch to Nico Hoerner.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
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There has been a lot of pearl-clutching concern among both liberals and conservatives about New York City’s future — and the nation’s — with socialist Mayor Mamdani.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Another, from 2009, is dominated by the profile of what appears to be a guard dog gripping a black hunk of something unidentifiable.—
Ben Davis,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
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Meanwhile, Nazem Kadri is passing up shots and sometimes looks uncomfortable gripping his stick right now.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Stay open while holding practical boundaries.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
-
On the other side of the building, Ford City’s lone anchor store, JCPenney, is holding its going-out-of-business sale.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Other complaints had to do with the Puerto Rican rap star grabbing his crotch, and with two dancers who allegedly grabbed each other's breasts (which, if true, is a wild dance move).—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
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Particularly since the savings made in service-staff costs and brick-and-mortar bar space, not to mention the affordability of buying booze here in China's RMB currency, aren't that far off grabbing a can or bottle from a nearby 24-hour convenience store.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clenching. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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