Synonyms of grip

grip 1 of 2

noun

1

as in suitcase

a bag carried by hand and designed to hold a traveler's clothing and personal articles

she placed her grip in the train's overhead rack and seated herself comfortably

Synonyms & Similar Words

• suitcase
• wallet
• backpack
• carryall
• traveling bag
• handbag
• carry-on
• briefcase
• luggage
• portmanteau
• bags
• holdall
• kit
• duffel bag
• attaché
• attaché case
• overnight bag
• kit bag
• baggage
• rucksack
• carpetbag
• knapsack
• valise
• haversack
• weekend bag
• traveling case
• cosmetic case
• packsack
• weekender

2

as in grasp

the act or manner of holding

get a better grip on the lid and try to open the jar again

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grasp
• hold
• clasp
• clench
• handhold
• handgrip
• leverage
• footing
• hug
• grab
• grapple
• purchase
• foothold
• anchorage
• seizure
• embrace
• toehold
• clinch

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• release
• relinquishment

3

as in understanding

the knowledge gained from the process of coming to know or understand something

he has a good grip on basic Spanish grammar and spelling

Synonyms & Similar Words

• understanding
• grasp
• appreciation
• perception
• comprehension
• awareness
• hold
• apprehension
• absorption
• percipience
• uptake
• digestion
• conception
• consciousness
• assimilation
• realization
• visualization
• enlightenment

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• incomprehension
• misunderstanding
• noncomprehension
• misperception
• misinterpretation
• misapprehension
• miscomprehension

4

as in control

the right or means to command or control others

a tyrant that keeps the masses tightly in his grip

Synonyms & Similar Words

• control
• power
• sway
• dominion
• reign
• arm
• authority
• clutch
• mastery
• jurisdiction
• command
• sovereignty
• death grip
• hold
• influence
• rein(s)
• dominance
• leverage
• voice
• pull
• management
• privilege
• clout
• weight
• direction
• right
• supremacy
• importance
• predominance
• prerogative
• imperium
• moment
• eminence

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• powerlessness
• impotence
• weakness
• helplessness
• impotency

5

as in handle

a part by which an implement is held

bought new pots with heat-resistant grips

Synonyms & Similar Words

• handle
• hilt
• handgrip
• shaft
• bow
• loop
• haft
• helve
• bar
• bail
• handlebar
• crop
• broomstick
• whipstock

grip

2 of 2

verb

ˈgrip 

1

as in to clutch

to have or keep in one's hands

gripped the handlebars tightly and raced down the hill

Synonyms & Similar Words

• clutch
• hold
• clench
• grab
• carry
• cradle
• cling (to)
• hold on to
• take
• grasp
• handle
• hang on to
• trap
• snatch
• capture
• finger
• feel
• hug
• seize
• hook
• clasp
• grapple
• land
• catch
• nail
• bag
• snare
• snap (up)
• embrace
• collar
• bear
• latch (on or onto)
• paw
• corral
• nab

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hand
• give
• drop
• unclasp
• relinquish
• release
• yield
• render
• deliver
• unhand
• cede
• turn over
• hand over
• give up
• hand out

2

as in to fascinate

to hold the attention of as if by a spell

that true crime story gripped me as much as any whodunit

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fascinate
• enchant
• thrill
• arrest
• hypnotize
• catch up
• mesmerize
• entrance
• spellbind
• enthrall
• charm
• bedazzle
• engage
• involve
• absorb
• engross
• enrapture
• bewitch
• beguile

3

as in to interest

to hold the attention of

that movie will grip any true sports car fan

Synonyms & Similar Words

• interest
• intrigue
• occupy
• immerse
• busy
• involve
• fascinate
• engage
• attract
• absorb
• engross
• catch up
• enwrap
• distract
• charm
• catch one's eye
• preoccupy
• bemuse
• enchant
• enthrall
• allure
• obsess
• captivate
• hypnotize
• monopolize
• mesmerize
• hog
• bewitch
• beguile

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• bore
• weary
• pall
• tire
• jade

4

as in to grasp

to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms

the baby gripped my fingers and wouldn't let go

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grasp
• hold
• take
• clasp
• clutch
• lay hold of
• clench
• hang on to
• hold on (to)
• catch
• cling (to)
• snatch
• seize
• nab

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• release
• free
• drop
• discharge
• liberate
• hand
• give
• relinquish
• transfer
• pass
• deliver
• transmit
• turn over
• hand over
• entrust
• unhand

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of grip

Noun

For a cold moment the silence locked a grip on our table, though it was broken, at the edges, by the golf commentators moaning and harrumphing, Rory McIlroy having had a canary on a seventeenth fairway somewhere this championship Sunday. — Kevin Barry, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026

Analysts have warned the Iranian regime, facing an existential threat to its rule, could re-escalate the war and take back its grip on the oil trade. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026

Verb

Paris — Students fought running battles with police and several schools were ablaze Friday as a new day of violence gripped France with no end in sight to protests that have rocked the country. — Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026

Secondly, as markets remain gripped by concerns around long-term public debt and fiscal sustainability globally, Gower acknowledged that higher bond yields remain a challenge for non-yielding assets like gold. — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026

Phrases Containing grip

• death grip
• have a grip on