as in snatched
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly
don't grab my arm like that
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Recent Examples of grabbed
Moroney, who sang covers, grabbed her guitar and riled up the crowd.
—
Bryan West, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
The woman, who is listed as a current or former girlfriend of Fleming’s, first petitioned for a court order against him in January 2025, alleging that Fleming had grabbed her by her scarf and used it to choke her, and threatened her for spreading rumors about him.
—Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
Modi grabbed Altman’s hand and lifted it for a group photo, but Altman and Amodei, standing side by side, did not clasp hands or make eye contact.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
The staffer turned around quickly and Hoiberg grabbed his arm, pointed at the fan and then kept shaking hands.
—Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Staff inside the restaurant also grabbed multiple fire extinguishers to fight the small blaze, Thomas said.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 18 Feb. 2026
Jasper Floyd grabbed the defensive rebound but then threw a pass out of bounds trying to connect with Huff.
—ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
The senior forward grabbed a pair of early rebounds, including an offensive putback for a score.
—Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2026
Doncic turned to run back up the court and grabbed the back of his left leg.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Bryan West, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
The woman, who is listed as a current or former girlfriend of Fleming’s, first petitioned for a court order against him in January 2025, alleging that Fleming had grabbed her by her scarf and used it to choke her, and threatened her for spreading rumors about him.
—Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
Modi grabbed Altman’s hand and lifted it for a group photo, but Altman and Amodei, standing side by side, did not clasp hands or make eye contact.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
The staffer turned around quickly and Hoiberg grabbed his arm, pointed at the fan and then kept shaking hands.
—Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Staff inside the restaurant also grabbed multiple fire extinguishers to fight the small blaze, Thomas said.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 18 Feb. 2026
Jasper Floyd grabbed the defensive rebound but then threw a pass out of bounds trying to connect with Huff.
—ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
The senior forward grabbed a pair of early rebounds, including an offensive putback for a score.
—Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2026
Doncic turned to run back up the court and grabbed the back of his left leg.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grabbed
Verb
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Then Lewis snatched the inbound pass to get possession and UConn fouled up three.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
15 Feb. 2026
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Another pro-billionaire demonstrator eventually snatched the sign back.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Against the odds, Ukraine managed to repel the initial Russian attack on Kyiv and, within a few months, took back large swaths of land originally seized by Moscow.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
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In October 2022, two months after FBI agents seized boxes of materials from his Mar-a-Lago home, the then-former president questioned a president’s or former president’s legal authority to declassify sensitive information.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The good boy's sprint was caught by the photo finish camera.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Feb. 2026
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The body camera footage has caught social media's attention since being released, with clips from the video circulating on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X, garnering thousands of views.—
Ryan Hansen,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The post included a photo of a teen carrying a realistic-looking toy pistol, which was captured by a doorbell camera in 2024, said Ziggy Azarcon, public information officer with the Irvine Police Department.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
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Satellite imagery of the Imam Ali Missile Base in Khorramabad, captured on January 5, shows that of the dozen structures destroyed by Israel, three have been rebuilt, one has been repaired while three others are currently under construction.—
Farida Elsebai,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Active across three decades, Hounsou’s other acting credits include In America (2002) and Blood Diamond (2006), both of which landed him Oscar noms.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
15 Feb. 2026
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First, SpaceX's Falcon 9 1st stage landed at Landing Pad 40 in a smooth touchdown at the company's newest landing pad.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But Wemby got his painfully cool peers to play along, to pick up the tempo – and their defense, often at half court.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
16 Feb. 2026
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As a plant biologist, Kato knew that bioplastics could be made from plants and got curious about the possibilities.—
TRAVIS LOLLER,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Since then, Dane snagged guest roles in other TV shows like Roseanne, Married… with Children, and Silk Stalkings.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
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Plus, Amazon just snagged the top spot on the Fortune 500 from Walmart, dethroning it from a 13-year reign.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grabbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grabbed. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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