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
Young grabbed onto Elijah’s hair to try to hang onto the moment.
—
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
Becerra blunder The first ad that grabbed my attention was a quick-turn by San José Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Matt Mahan (still stuck in single-digit polling numbers), who jumped on Xavier Becerra’s first major mess-up.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
One officer grabbed a long gun from his trunk.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 14 May 2026
Luke Howard allegedly told officers that Valerie Howard had grabbed him around his neck and pushed him.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2026
Netflix grabbed the rights after Fox Sports’ 10-year deal as the exclusive broadcaster for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show expired this year.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 13 May 2026
Jamie Foxx grabbed an action shot with the mouse himself at Disneyland in July 2017.
—Mackenzie Schmidt, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
Hutchins allegedly grabbed a woman by the neck, according to a witness.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 13 May 2026
Sabres winger Zach Benson took advantage of Lane Hutson stumbling at the defensive blue line, and grabbed a loose puck before setting up Josh Doan for the opening goal less than five minutes into the game.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 7 May 2026
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
Becerra blunder The first ad that grabbed my attention was a quick-turn by San José Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Matt Mahan (still stuck in single-digit polling numbers), who jumped on Xavier Becerra’s first major mess-up.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
One officer grabbed a long gun from his trunk.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 14 May 2026
Luke Howard allegedly told officers that Valerie Howard had grabbed him around his neck and pushed him.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2026
Netflix grabbed the rights after Fox Sports’ 10-year deal as the exclusive broadcaster for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show expired this year.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 13 May 2026
Jamie Foxx grabbed an action shot with the mouse himself at Disneyland in July 2017.
—Mackenzie Schmidt, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
Hutchins allegedly grabbed a woman by the neck, according to a witness.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 13 May 2026
Sabres winger Zach Benson took advantage of Lane Hutson stumbling at the defensive blue line, and grabbed a loose puck before setting up Josh Doan for the opening goal less than five minutes into the game.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grabbed
Verb
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Another lesson to be learned from Iran is that wars at this level, involving a great power and a lower-tier one, can’t always be tidy operations that end when a president is snatched by special forces in the middle of the night.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
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Police said the teens broke a glass window, and the suspect snatched $300 from the kiosk’s operator.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
8 May 2026
Verb
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He was also ordered to pay nearly $111 million in restitution and forfeit roughly $17 million that the government seized from bank accounts.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
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So far this year, 12 guns have been seized by Annapolis Police, according to department data.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Verb
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The Giants have not won at home in Week 1 since Hakeem Nicks caught three touchdown passes in a 2010 win over the Carolina Panthers.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
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Steyer backers Speaking of money, the second ad (or sort-of ad) that caught my attention is tied to Steyer, the billionaire who has spent more than $100 million of his own money in this race.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Verb
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No candidate has polled higher than 20-some percent — a testament to how many are in the running, but also an indication that none of them has truly captured the zeitgeist of today’s California.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
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Any natural satellites of Psyche could’ve been ejected from the body by ancient impacts—or might’ve even been captured from deep space by chance encounters as the asteroid drifted through the solar system.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The passengers left on a chartered flight from Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, on Sunday and landed at Torrejón de Ardoz military airport, east of Madrid, according to Spain’s Defense Ministry.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
11 May 2026
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That game, a 34-31 Wildcats win in the first year of the Shedeur Sanders era, was the first impression Coleman left on the state of Colorado before the Broncos landed on him two years later.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Tom Brady, who was the victim of Netflix’s last celebrity roast in 2024, made a surprise appearance at Kevin Hart’s roast Sunday to launch a few jokes at the comedian before the night got underway.—
Payton Turkeltaub,
Variety,
11 May 2026
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Mateusz Bogusz got a second chance to score in the 51st minute, using his left foot to find the net for the second time for a 3-1 lead.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Kazuma Okamoto snagged the one-hopper on his back-hand and then started a double play.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
9 May 2026
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Join the 4,000 Amazon shoppers who just snagged the spring-ready lilac color before the savings end.—
Isabel Garcia,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grabbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grabbed. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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