as in snatching
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 grabbing
He is then seen slowly approaching the victim, checking his surroundings, and removing his shoes before grabbing her from behind.
—
Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
Reaves, meanwhile, spent much of the first quarter grabbing at his back.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
When Franz Wagner went down to the floor grabbing his left knee in pain two minutes into the third quarter of Wednesday’s game between Orlando and Minnesota inside Kia Center, the Magic only led the Timberwolves by five points.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
Yet China has quietly been making its own large, if less headline-grabbing strides toward putting its astronauts on the moon.
—Andrew Jones, Scientific American, 9 Apr. 2026
Nearly every sports league or tournament is trying to create a lucrative, attention-grabbing ancillary event before the main attraction.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Since grabbing linebacker Fred Warner in the third round in 2018, the 49ers have made 11 picks in the third round.
—Vic Tafur, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
That makes sense- investors are grabbing the names that have been beaten down because of rising oil prices and geopolitical tensions.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
Kyla Oldacre led Texas with 11 points off the bench while grabbing seven rebounds.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
Reaves, meanwhile, spent much of the first quarter grabbing at his back.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
When Franz Wagner went down to the floor grabbing his left knee in pain two minutes into the third quarter of Wednesday’s game between Orlando and Minnesota inside Kia Center, the Magic only led the Timberwolves by five points.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
Yet China has quietly been making its own large, if less headline-grabbing strides toward putting its astronauts on the moon.
—Andrew Jones, Scientific American, 9 Apr. 2026
Nearly every sports league or tournament is trying to create a lucrative, attention-grabbing ancillary event before the main attraction.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Since grabbing linebacker Fred Warner in the third round in 2018, the 49ers have made 11 picks in the third round.
—Vic Tafur, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
That makes sense- investors are grabbing the names that have been beaten down because of rising oil prices and geopolitical tensions.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026
Kyla Oldacre led Texas with 11 points off the bench while grabbing seven rebounds.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grabbing
Verb
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Marcus Chisholm, 44, is accused of snatching the taco stand’s cash register from a cashier’s table and running to his car, police say.—
Mark Price
April 9,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Some even resorted to body snatching in the name of education.—
Tara Ramanathan,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Her business is seizing the moment as AI radically transforms workflows, including that of lawyers, but her initial passion for the career came much earlier in life.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
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Targeting property Iran’s judiciary has begun seizing the property of public figures critical of the country’s rulers, under an anti-espionage law approved during last year’s 12-day war with Israel that punishes media and cultural activities deemed to support Iran’s enemies.—
Amir-Hussein Radjy,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Ravensbergen is a rare southpaw as a right-catching goalie (coincidentally, as is Askarov).—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Mission specialist Christina Koch said her biggest highlight was catching her first glimpses of Earth after passing around the moon, a moment that came after a communications blackout.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Even if the crewmates are successful in capturing their images, Artemis 2's Earthrise (and Earthset) images won't look exactly like Apollo 8's.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
5 Apr. 2026
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Prime lunar views During the flyby, the astronauts will split into pairs and take turns capturing the lunar views out their windows with cameras.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But after getting as close as six in the third, the Heat went into the fourth down 102-90, with the deficit back into the 20s less than four minutes into that final period.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Heiskanen appeared to get sandwiched in between Hartman and the boards before going down in a heap and possibly getting his knee tangled up underneath him.—
R.J. Coyle,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Launching a plane into space and then landing it on a runway with all the crew remaining in there still feels technologically impressive.—
Letters to the Editor,
Washington Post,
7 Apr. 2026
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The Artemis 2 astronauts — NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen — are the first people to cross the lunar threshold since December 1972, when the three-person Apollo 17 moon-landing mission did so.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Give yourself extra protection against the possibility of being pickpocketed by snagging Quince’s Excursion Italian Leather Messenger Bag before your next trip.—
Michelle Baricevic,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Apr. 2026
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Wayfair’s huge Tax Refund Sale has loads of unmissable deals worth snagging, including indoor and outdoor furniture and warm-weather bedding.—
Jacquelyn McGilvray,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grabbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grabbing. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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