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
While not everyone experiences such dramatic effects, experts say stress, clenching and even past trauma can contribute to TMJ issues.
—
Nicole Bennett, AJC.com, 22 May 2026
The Beloved, his first film in Competition at Cannes, is an incredible achievement that builds on all those films and leaves them standing in the dust, hitting all the same tense throat-clenching beats but somehow transcending genre altogether.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 16 May 2026
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
Nicole Bennett, AJC.com, 22 May 2026
The Beloved, his first film in Competition at Cannes, is an incredible achievement that builds on all those films and leaves them standing in the dust, hitting all the same tense throat-clenching beats but somehow transcending genre altogether.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 16 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clenching
Verb
-
Marie-Paule had straight blond hair, cut in a bob with a clip on one side, and was clutching a miniature schoolbag.—
Annie Ernaux,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
Martin, clutching a gun in his left hand, pulled the weapon behind his left leg.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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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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
-
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
-
The best know how to play through grabbing or shoving of various degrees.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
-
Wembanyama finished Game 6 with 28 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.—
Devon Henderson,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clenching. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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