as in snatching
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly
don't grab my arm like that
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of grabbing
Take after the actress by grabbing them in black, or choose from six additional colors, including burgundy and deep brown.
—
Averi Baudler, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
Healthy cooking often boils down to accessibility and convenience; busy lives can leave people grabbing less nutritious alternatives.
—Virginia Willis, AJC.com, 11 Jan. 2026
Officials say one of the riders was briefly buried and dislocated his shoulder while grabbing onto a tree.
—Kennedy Cook, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
Instead, the mandate is growing the festival gradually, sticking to local chefs instead of headline-grabbing celebrities.
—Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
On fourth down in overtime, cornerback Glenn Sharpe was flagged for grabbing Ohio State receiver Chris Gamble on a throw.
—Matt Baker, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Video taken by bystanders show an officer approaching the SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle.
—Staff and Wire Reports, Boston Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
The recordings show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle.
—Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
The 5-11 200-pound standout has accumulated mind-boggling stats through nine games -- 1,098 rushing yards and 17 TDs while grabbing a team-leading 42 passes for 974 yards and 18 scores.
—Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Nov. 2025
Averi Baudler, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
Healthy cooking often boils down to accessibility and convenience; busy lives can leave people grabbing less nutritious alternatives.
—Virginia Willis, AJC.com, 11 Jan. 2026
Officials say one of the riders was briefly buried and dislocated his shoulder while grabbing onto a tree.
—Kennedy Cook, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
Instead, the mandate is growing the festival gradually, sticking to local chefs instead of headline-grabbing celebrities.
—Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
On fourth down in overtime, cornerback Glenn Sharpe was flagged for grabbing Ohio State receiver Chris Gamble on a throw.
—Matt Baker, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Video taken by bystanders show an officer approaching the SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle.
—Staff and Wire Reports, Boston Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
The recordings show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle.
—Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
The 5-11 200-pound standout has accumulated mind-boggling stats through nine games -- 1,098 rushing yards and 17 TDs while grabbing a team-leading 42 passes for 974 yards and 18 scores.
—Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grabbing
Verb
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Keep going and the path climbs to the top of the arch, a high perch with breath-snatching panoramas.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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The Shea Moisture Define & Shine Edge Gel slicks my edges back without snatching them to hell.—
Kayla Greaves,
Essence,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But seizing current oil production is one thing; overhauling Venezuela's entire oil industry would be another.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
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Trump has occasionally discussed seizing Greenland since his first term but few initially took his threats seriously.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Through the air, their pass-catching group is one of the worst in the playoffs.—
Austin Mock,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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At Oklahoma, Livingstone will be catching passes from John Mateer, who completed 62% of his passes for 2,885 yards in 2025, accumulating 14 touchdown passes to go with 11 interceptions.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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By capturing and using the static electricity in compressed air, this system offers a sustainable way to generate electricity while also neutralizing hazardous charges that pose safety risks.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
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Like Dostoyevsky, Capote doesn’t portray his killers as demonic ciphers, instead capturing their messy complexity.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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If Carolina is thinking about the big picture, giving Coker the extra year, perhaps valued as a first- or second-round tender, is just getting ahead of a formality.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Jan. 2026
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Chief among them is getting to be a mentor to newer cast members, such as Marcello Hernández.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This isn’t great news for grads who have sunk tens of thousands of dollars into tuition, or are hoping to pay off their debt burden by landing a role similar to those their parents held before them.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
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Both questions would need final approval from the commission before officially landing on the August ballot.—
Tess Riski
January 8,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Turns out, those crystal bowls and milk glass dishes—both of which made ample clinking noises—were perfect for alerting grandma that little ones were snagging candy before dinner.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
6 Jan. 2026
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Dent was in the middle of it all, snagging a steal that led to a Brandon Williams dunk, driving for a couple of layups and rising for a midrange jumper while capitalizing on defense that prioritized taking away three-pointers.—
Ben Bolch,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grabbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grabbing. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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