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
The sight of 6-foot-10 center Gafford clutching that same right ankle has occurred more times than even Gafford can count in the Mavericks’ first 50 games this season.
—
Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
The mother walked out of the courtroom clutching her son and found an advocate with the Immigrant Advocacy Network in the lobby to explain her options.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026
After Vonn lost control and ended up in the safety nets, she was attended to by medical staff and appeared to be clutching her left knee.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
After the crash, Vonn was able to ski down to the finish area, albeit gingerly, while clutching her left leg.
—Outside, 30 Jan. 2026
Vonn then skied slowly to the finish line, stopping a couple of times on the way down and clutching her left knee.
—CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
The fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti were captured on shaky video by bystanders clutching smartphones in the bitter cold and standing within shouting distance of the victims.
—Maggie Vespa, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026
But for those who are not clutching their pearls or foaming at the mouth over Fennell’s interpretation of the original text, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi’s steamy take on the classic promises to deliver a whole host of method-dressing press tour looks for hungry audiences to obsess over.
—Olivia Allen, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2026
Somewhere, James Cameron is clutching his crown tightly.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
The mother walked out of the courtroom clutching her son and found an advocate with the Immigrant Advocacy Network in the lobby to explain her options.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026
After Vonn lost control and ended up in the safety nets, she was attended to by medical staff and appeared to be clutching her left knee.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
After the crash, Vonn was able to ski down to the finish area, albeit gingerly, while clutching her left leg.
—Outside, 30 Jan. 2026
Vonn then skied slowly to the finish line, stopping a couple of times on the way down and clutching her left knee.
—CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
The fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti were captured on shaky video by bystanders clutching smartphones in the bitter cold and standing within shouting distance of the victims.
—Maggie Vespa, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026
But for those who are not clutching their pearls or foaming at the mouth over Fennell’s interpretation of the original text, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi’s steamy take on the classic promises to deliver a whole host of method-dressing press tour looks for hungry audiences to obsess over.
—Olivia Allen, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2026
Somewhere, James Cameron is clutching his crown tightly.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clutching
Verb
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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
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Wole faced fixedly forward, both fists clenching the steering wheel.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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One of the many unsettling images to emerge from the recent ICE surge in Minneapolis was that of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, in his blue bunny hat, standing in the January cold with the hand of a federal officer gripping his Spider-Man backpack.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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Climate experts have warned that the extreme conditions gripping southeastern Australia are a public health emergency driven by the burning of fossil fuels.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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About a second after the agent holding Pretti’s weapon starts moving away, the officer in the black beanie appears to fire four shots at Pretti.—
Yahya Abou-Ghazala,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
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Produced by One Pulse Group, the global production team behind S20 America and EDC Korea, ‘KRAZY Super Concert’ is holding its first-ever United Arab Emirates concert at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre.—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Thomas then appeared to quickly lunge at Leon, swiftly grabbing and lifting him up before body slamming the suspect to the ground.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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SpaceX was also famously involved in funding and operating the headline-grabbing Polaris Dawn crewed commercial mission in September 2024.—
Eric Lagatta,
AZCentral.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clutching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clutching. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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