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
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
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
The 35-year-old had just played one of his best games of the season in a win over the Charlotte Hornets, scoring 20 points, dishing out six assists and grabbing three rebounds.
—Nick Friedell, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
For some people, pulling on a pair of rubber gloves is as automatic as grabbing the spray bottle.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 30 Jan. 2026
Once rooted in headline-grabbing Los Angeles properties—including homes previously owned by Tom Cruise—Longoria has steadily reworked her property portfolio, selling off stateside holdings while putting down deeper roots abroad.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 30 Jan. 2026
My Ghosts Go Ghost works best when its gears grind to create an attention-grabbing dissonance.
—Benny Sun, Pitchfork, 29 Jan. 2026
Smaller brownfield expansions, compression upgrades and lateral connections now carry more value than headline-grabbing greenfield projects.
—Bryce Erickson, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Rene Arturo Lujan, 43, admitted to grabbing two girls on June 18 and June 20, 2024, leading to his arrest roughly two hours after the second kidnapping attempt.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
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
The 35-year-old had just played one of his best games of the season in a win over the Charlotte Hornets, scoring 20 points, dishing out six assists and grabbing three rebounds.
—Nick Friedell, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
For some people, pulling on a pair of rubber gloves is as automatic as grabbing the spray bottle.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 30 Jan. 2026
Once rooted in headline-grabbing Los Angeles properties—including homes previously owned by Tom Cruise—Longoria has steadily reworked her property portfolio, selling off stateside holdings while putting down deeper roots abroad.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 30 Jan. 2026
My Ghosts Go Ghost works best when its gears grind to create an attention-grabbing dissonance.
—Benny Sun, Pitchfork, 29 Jan. 2026
Smaller brownfield expansions, compression upgrades and lateral connections now carry more value than headline-grabbing greenfield projects.
—Bryce Erickson, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Rene Arturo Lujan, 43, admitted to grabbing two girls on June 18 and June 20, 2024, leading to his arrest roughly two hours after the second kidnapping attempt.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grabbing
Verb
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Zayn winning in Montreal after eating an RKO and a Razor’s Edge, then snatching the pin on Priest with a Helluva Kick, gave you the biggest pop and the clearest storyline payoff of the night.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
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Masked agents snatching preschoolers off the street and sending them to Texas detention centers serves none of those purposes.—
Ryan Mancini,
The Hill,
22 Jan. 2026
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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Many eventually settled in North Beach, or Little Italy, and wound up catching salmon in the summer and crab in the winter.—
Becky Duffett,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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Laferriere tied the score just over two minutes later by taking Perry’s pass from behind the net and catching Hofer off the left post.—
Daily News,
Daily News,
25 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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Those eight factors are eating healthy, being active, not smoking, getting high sleep quality, and managing weight, cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure.—
Lily Hautau,
CNN Money,
29 Jan. 2026
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Uhlaender, 41, won the race in skeleton, but the manipulation kept her from getting the requisite points to qualify for the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Games.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Did that person have trouble functioning in their daily life or need to try multiple drugs before landing on one that worked?—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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Skating last, Kim delivered another exquisite program, landing six triples and making no obvious errors.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Other New Balance kicks worth snagging?—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
30 Jan. 2026
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An advocate and frequent critic of Georgia Power who was arrested for allegedly snagging a notebook with trade secrets will not be prosecuted.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grabbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grabbing. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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