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
The suspects asked if Apple Pay was accepted before grabbing a box of cash.
—
Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 12 June 2026
Jose Alvarado also got physical in Game 4, grabbing one of Wembanyama's legs during a hard foul.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 June 2026
This World Cup lead-up has also been about the FIFAfication of America, where even notorious former FIFA chief Sepp Blatter blanches at the level of cronyism, politicization and money-grabbing on display.
—Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 11 June 2026
One game turned grabbing the last slice of cake into a pistol duel of who could press the button at exactly the right time.
—Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 11 June 2026
An instant sensation among a sea of attention-grabbing videos, Alexander’s educational deep dives are a master class on antiques.
—Ginger Perra, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 June 2026
O’Connor accused officers of entering the home, allegedly grabbing Love’s elderly mother and knocking her to the ground.
—Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2026
New York’s Mitchell Robinson, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns now fit the bill as capable defenders in the way of San Antonio grabbing the Larry O’Brien trophy.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 10 June 2026
After a subpar Game 5 performance, Victor Wembanyama was closer to his normal self, scoring 28 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
—William Guillory, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 12 June 2026
Jose Alvarado also got physical in Game 4, grabbing one of Wembanyama's legs during a hard foul.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 June 2026
This World Cup lead-up has also been about the FIFAfication of America, where even notorious former FIFA chief Sepp Blatter blanches at the level of cronyism, politicization and money-grabbing on display.
—Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 11 June 2026
One game turned grabbing the last slice of cake into a pistol duel of who could press the button at exactly the right time.
—Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 11 June 2026
An instant sensation among a sea of attention-grabbing videos, Alexander’s educational deep dives are a master class on antiques.
—Ginger Perra, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 June 2026
O’Connor accused officers of entering the home, allegedly grabbing Love’s elderly mother and knocking her to the ground.
—Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2026
New York’s Mitchell Robinson, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns now fit the bill as capable defenders in the way of San Antonio grabbing the Larry O’Brien trophy.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 10 June 2026
After a subpar Game 5 performance, Victor Wembanyama was closer to his normal self, scoring 28 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
—William Guillory, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grabbing
Verb
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She was booked and charged with two counts of battery, robbery by snatching and criminal mischief.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
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Five people were arrested last week after a months-long investigation into a series of chain-snatching robberies in San Francisco, police said on Wednesday.—
Kassia Bonesteel,
CBS News,
27 May 2026
Verb
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He’s drawn to attempting to achieve things that his predecessors could not, including seizing territory for the United States (Greenland, for sure, but maybe Canada, too) and toppling antagonistic regimes (Venezuela, Iran, possibly Cuba).—
Jonathan Lemire,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2026
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The Scarborough Shoal, known in the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc and in China as Huangyan Dao, sits within Manila's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, but Beijing has maintained a near-constant presence around the shoal after seizing de facto control in a tense 2012 standoff.—
James LaPorta,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Verb
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As many as 7 in 10 of those operators blamed tight visa rules, vetting of immigrants and a spike in the cost of catching a flight into the United States, brought on by the Iran war, as reasons for the lousy booking rates.—
Andre Mouchard,
Oc Register,
8 June 2026
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The Baltimore native dropped a rap video that is catching the eye of more than a million people.—
CBS Baltimore Staff,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Verb
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The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday in Texas, capturing the franchise's first championship since 1973 and sparking jubilant scenes throughout the city.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
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Want advice on capturing birds in flight?—
Sarah Kingdom,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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The seven-week-old puppies were passed out asleep after a long, hard day of being dogs, but that didn’t stop people from getting their hands on them.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
12 June 2026
-
After the crowd was getting restless with some boos, Mexico has added to its lead.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
Verb
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The newsroom is soldiering on, landing scoops, asking questions, doing the work.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
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The son of Luc Mettler, who owned an influential Parisian music shop, Mettler relocated to New York in the early 1990s, landing a job as assistant at Back Pocket recording studio.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Then Smith, who has ripped Democrats as often as MAGA in one headline-snagging 2028 contenders statement after another the past year, made his three-pointer shot.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
9 June 2026
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Some of the Summertime launch‘s most delicious harvests have already sold out, so don’t think too long or too hard about it before snagging everything that catches your eye… and whets your appetite.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grabbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grabbing. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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