as in seizes
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 grabs
Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 21 Jan. 2026
In the clip, Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) and Percy (Walker Scobell) are standing on the edge of the dance floor in what appears to be a school gymnasium when, all of a sudden, Annabeth takes a deep breath and grabs Percy’s hand, dragging him onto the dance floor.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2026
Then Peters quickly pushes the cart out of the way, comes back into the view of the camera, grabs the woman and pushes her.
—Megan Schrader, Denver Post, 20 Jan. 2026
Struber parks and grabs his bag.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Sometimes an item grabs your attention from across the aisle—but try to keep your shopping cart or basket close by.
—Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 14 Jan. 2026
But as the ball arrives the defender grabs the jersey with the right hand and pulls the defender down.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2026
As one officer grabs at her door handle, a third officer who had circled to the front of the SUV from the opposite side draws his gun.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 8 Jan. 2026
When one agent grabs the driver’s side door handle, the car reverses and then drives forward.
—Julia Ainsley, NBC news, 7 Jan. 2026
Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 21 Jan. 2026
Tomasi can be heard yelping and grabs at her leg when struck, the video shows.
—Graham Hurley, CNN Money, 20 Jan. 2026
The Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck is considered by some as the incumbent coming off last February’s 4 Nation’s tournament, but playing time should still be up for grabs.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
But while the Olympics, specifically, do tend to flatten progression into these measurable criteria, by no means are other aspects of a snowboarding run, such as clean grabs and spinning multiple directions, cast aside.
—Michelle Bruton, Forbes.com, 19 Jan. 2026
The 2026 election season promises plenty of drama, with all the statewide offices up for grabs as well as seats in the General Assembly and in Congress.
—Kathleen Hill, The Providence Journal, 17 Jan. 2026
The fourth and final opportunity is still up for grabs.
—Greg Rosenstein, NBC news, 16 Jan. 2026
And there might be $700 million up for grabs, according to Oliver Chen, a retail analyst at TD Cowen.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 16 Jan. 2026
The Lincoln Project reported this week that 18 House races have recently shifted in the Democrats' favor, and the Senate is thought to be up for grabs as well.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
Verb
Weaver, a 6-foot-3 senior, is the energizer defender who grabs rebounds, gets dirty on the court and scores the occasional hustle basket.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 21 Jan. 2026
In the clip, Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) and Percy (Walker Scobell) are standing on the edge of the dance floor in what appears to be a school gymnasium when, all of a sudden, Annabeth takes a deep breath and grabs Percy’s hand, dragging him onto the dance floor.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2026
Then Peters quickly pushes the cart out of the way, comes back into the view of the camera, grabs the woman and pushes her.
—Megan Schrader, Denver Post, 20 Jan. 2026
Struber parks and grabs his bag.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Sometimes an item grabs your attention from across the aisle—but try to keep your shopping cart or basket close by.
—Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 14 Jan. 2026
But as the ball arrives the defender grabs the jersey with the right hand and pulls the defender down.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2026
As one officer grabs at her door handle, a third officer who had circled to the front of the SUV from the opposite side draws his gun.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 8 Jan. 2026
When one agent grabs the driver’s side door handle, the car reverses and then drives forward.
—Julia Ainsley, NBC news, 7 Jan. 2026
Noun
Tony Stark knows a thing or two about cool toys, and now one of his favorites is about to go up for grabs.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 21 Jan. 2026
Tomasi can be heard yelping and grabs at her leg when struck, the video shows.
—Graham Hurley, CNN Money, 20 Jan. 2026
The Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck is considered by some as the incumbent coming off last February’s 4 Nation’s tournament, but playing time should still be up for grabs.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
But while the Olympics, specifically, do tend to flatten progression into these measurable criteria, by no means are other aspects of a snowboarding run, such as clean grabs and spinning multiple directions, cast aside.
—Michelle Bruton, Forbes.com, 19 Jan. 2026
The 2026 election season promises plenty of drama, with all the statewide offices up for grabs as well as seats in the General Assembly and in Congress.
—Kathleen Hill, The Providence Journal, 17 Jan. 2026
The fourth and final opportunity is still up for grabs.
—Greg Rosenstein, NBC news, 16 Jan. 2026
And there might be $700 million up for grabs, according to Oliver Chen, a retail analyst at TD Cowen.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 16 Jan. 2026
The Lincoln Project reported this week that 18 House races have recently shifted in the Democrats' favor, and the Senate is thought to be up for grabs as well.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grabs
Verb
-
Season 2 also seizes on an obvious opportunity.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The team successfully seizes two tons of gold and apprehends the leader of the criminal network.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
After serving a search warrant, detectives recovered watches, jewelry and clothing stolen during some of the thefts.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Many of the property crimes in the report also declined, including a 27% drop in vehicle thefts and 10% drop in shoplifting among the reporting cities.—
Claudia Lauer,
Fortune,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Maisie is a throw-away child in 1910, captivated by a poster of a magical French carousel, when an aunt snatches her out of poverty and takes her into the home of her wealthy employer, a British lord.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2026
-
The ribbed-trim detailing already sets it apart, while the subtle shaping at the waist snatches every figure.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Sorcerer’s enormous rear wing catches the eye the most, which was a choice of the owner, who also wanted a front spoiler to make the car more track-focused.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The distinctive design catches the eye of thousands of people passing by each day.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Throughout the movie chaptered like a stage play, Manners captures the two actresses’ rhythms organically with an insightful and mischievously British sense of humor.—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2026
-
That line, delivered by Parsons himself, captures the ethos of PXG.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Indiana Pacers Another surprisingly expensive team, the reigning Eastern Conference champions would likely go into the tax if restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin gets an appropriate salary over the summer.—
Danny Leroux,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Here's where this case gets even messier.—
Megan De Mar,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Copy space California Pinot Noir usually lands in the medium to full bodied range.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Protesting often lands people in prison.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grabs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grabs. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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