as in control
the right or means to command or control others
the cult leader had such a death grip on his followers that all orders were carried out without the slightest objection
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of death grip
As in give it up, let go, release the death grip.
—
Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
Across genres and styles, new books must maintain a death grip on the reader’s attention, fearful of losing it to the many readily accessible distractions lying at most one foot from the book itself.
—Robert Rubsam, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
Detachment creates attachment The death grip on your goals is what's killing them.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
After further assessment and some discussion, the team focused on the quad, which evidently had a death grip on Tichyque’s femur.
—Literary Hub, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for death grip
Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
Across genres and styles, new books must maintain a death grip on the reader’s attention, fearful of losing it to the many readily accessible distractions lying at most one foot from the book itself.
—Robert Rubsam, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
Detachment creates attachment The death grip on your goals is what's killing them.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
After further assessment and some discussion, the team focused on the quad, which evidently had a death grip on Tichyque’s femur.
—Literary Hub, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for death grip
Recent Examples of Synonyms for death grip
Noun
-
The goal of treatment is to get the caffeine out of your system while keeping your symptoms under control, and the approach depends on how far the caffeine has already moved through your body.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
12 June 2026
-
Turn into the skid - Turning into the skid can help the vehicle's tires realign to regain control.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Federal officials this year sent water from the upstream Flaming Gorge Reservoir to Lake Powell to stave off an emergency where water levels in the lower reservoir fall so low that water no longer flows through the dam’s power turbines — the only safe way to release water for extended periods.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
-
That still left a lot of the two-time league champion’s star power exposed to be plucked by the four new teams looking to fill rosters.—
Tom Carothers,
Twin Cities,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
But first comes Infantino’s own strategic test, the same one faced by every emperor whose dominion threatens to collapse because of overexpansion.—
Chris Jones,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
-
That’s why the theme of violence, both psychological and physical, is central to the novel, precisely because for so long—and unfortunately still today—violence hasn’t been considered sufficient reason to bring an end to the dominion of the male, founded on force and on the subordination of women.—
Nina Mesfin,
New Yorker,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
Monetary policy decisions are made by a committee of 12 FOMC members, and while the chair usually has considerable sway, Warsh would need to persuade panel members of the immediate need for rate cuts.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
26 May 2026
-
Singapore is a global financial hub with particular sway across Southeast Asia, and global financial institutions use the city as a home base for their operations in the region.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
Such variety seemed impossible as recently as 2018, when the Golden State Warriors were at the height of their reign and decades of history suggested the NBA would always be the American sports league most characterized by dynasties.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
-
Archaeological remnants of his reign—the Arch of Galerius and the Rotunda—flaunt the city’s antiquity.—
Magda Teter,
The New York Review of Books,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Death grip.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/death%20grip. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
