as in clenching
to have or keep in one's hands
he clutched the eggs carefully so he wouldn't drop them
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Recent Examples of clutching
Being middle class comes with a fear of losing a specific sense of safety; the existential quest is finding out if there’s more to life than clutching onto your stuff in anticipatory panic.
—
Francesco Pacifico, The Dial, 12 May 2026
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, 6 May 2026
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
Morales is seen in surveillance video clutching at Pulido’s sweater a couple of times with Pulido brushing his hand away before Morales returns and the beating and kicking commences.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026
Steinem entered the quietly buzzing room wearing all black and clutching a wooden cane painted with blue and pink birds in her right hand.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 22 Apr. 2026
Such desperate attempts at grandiosity evoke empty vanity, clutching at physical monuments to prove a greatness that history has not yet conferred.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
The actress posed in a field of flowers while clutching her bare chest.
—Sarah Sotoodeh, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2026
Bednar could then be seen bending over and clutching the side of his head.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
Francesco Pacifico, The Dial, 12 May 2026
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, 6 May 2026
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
Morales is seen in surveillance video clutching at Pulido’s sweater a couple of times with Pulido brushing his hand away before Morales returns and the beating and kicking commences.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026
Steinem entered the quietly buzzing room wearing all black and clutching a wooden cane painted with blue and pink birds in her right hand.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 22 Apr. 2026
Such desperate attempts at grandiosity evoke empty vanity, clutching at physical monuments to prove a greatness that history has not yet conferred.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
The actress posed in a field of flowers while clutching her bare chest.
—Sarah Sotoodeh, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2026
Bednar could then be seen bending over and clutching the side of his head.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clutching
Verb
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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
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Protect against teeth grinding, clenching and enamel damage with custom dental solutions from ClearClub.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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April’s inflation rate means prices are now rising faster than wages for the first time since 2023, which could aggravate the affordability crisis that has already been gripping consumers.—
Steve Kopack,
NBC news,
12 May 2026
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This is a moving, gripping exploration of a complex family dynamic with something lurking beneath the surface.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Cross your legs while standing up and holding your arms out to the side, lower yourself to sit criss-cross on the floor by bending your knees, and stand back up—without using your hands, knees, or any furniture, or losing your balance.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
15 May 2026
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During Friday's Morning Meeting , Jim disagreed with investors piling into enterprise software stocks with no meaningful catalysts right now, including companies like Workday , ServiceNow , and Club holding Salesforce , following Ackman's disclosure.—
Natasha Abellard,
CNBC,
15 May 2026
Verb
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The driver who picked up the goods told FT that grabbing items in the location takes roughly five minutes, while the same trip to a Walmart Supercenter store could take 25 minutes.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
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The Limitless Lash Mascara is especially worth grabbing while it’s marked down.—
Jeaneen Russell,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clutching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clutching. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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