1
as in clenched
to have or keep in one's hands
gripped the handlebars tightly and raced down the hill
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fascinated
to hold the attention of as if by a spell
that true crime story gripped me as much as any whodunit
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in interested
to hold the attention of
that movie will grip any true sports car fan
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in grasped
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of gripped
Much of the wider region — Nevada, Colorado and beyond — has been gripped by widespread drought after an unusually dry winter.
—
Willem Marx,
NPR,
28 June 2026
With Utah gripped by one of its most dangerous wildfire seasons in recent memory, state officials have imposed sweeping restrictions on Fourth of July fireworks ahead of the nation’s 250th Independence Day celebrations, saying the risk of sparking catastrophic new fires is simply too great.
—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
27 June 2026
The march began Saturday afternoon as temperatures reached at least 100 degrees amid a record-breaking heat wave that has gripped most of Europe.
—
Justin Spike,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2026
Guests arrived at the Musée Nissim de Camondo as a heat wave gripped Paris.
—
ABC News,
24 June 2026
At least 40 people in France have drowned in recent days while trying to escape a blistering heat wave that has gripped much of Europe.
—
Rena Rowe,
The Washington Examiner,
23 June 2026
Another gripped a yellow stress ball throughout his testimony.
—
Stepheny Price , Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2026
The Murder of Rachel Nickell has viewers gripped.
—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 June 2026
Alansari was gripped by the tournament and attended 23 games in total, including the final, while Alyafei treated his family to tickets.
—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Willem Marx,
NPR,
28 June 2026
With Utah gripped by one of its most dangerous wildfire seasons in recent memory, state officials have imposed sweeping restrictions on Fourth of July fireworks ahead of the nation’s 250th Independence Day celebrations, saying the risk of sparking catastrophic new fires is simply too great.
—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
27 June 2026
The march began Saturday afternoon as temperatures reached at least 100 degrees amid a record-breaking heat wave that has gripped most of Europe.
—
Justin Spike,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2026
Guests arrived at the Musée Nissim de Camondo as a heat wave gripped Paris.
—
ABC News,
24 June 2026
At least 40 people in France have drowned in recent days while trying to escape a blistering heat wave that has gripped much of Europe.
—
Rena Rowe,
The Washington Examiner,
23 June 2026
Another gripped a yellow stress ball throughout his testimony.
—
Stepheny Price , Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2026
The Murder of Rachel Nickell has viewers gripped.
—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 June 2026
Alansari was gripped by the tournament and attended 23 games in total, including the final, while Alyafei treated his family to tickets.
—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gripped
Verb
-
As the ball landed safely on the other side of the left field fence at Nationals Park on Monday, Dylan Crews clenched his fists and let out a scream.
-
An accompanying photograph shows Glimcher holding the viewer’s gaze, his right hand outstretched on the desk, clenched in a tight fist.
Verb
-
Like countless others, I was fascinated by the intersection of medicine, epidemiology, and emerging pathogens that the book portrayed.
-
Hornets have ‘totally reshaped that frontcourt’ Kevin O’Connor, Yahoo sports podcaster and writer, is fascinated by the trade on both sides.
Verb
-
What interested him was the gap between the performance of power and whatever lives underneath it.
-
That’s a cheap and easy analogy, but that’s what interested me to want to make this show.
Verb
-
The tick should be grasped as close to the skin's surface as possible and pulled upward with steady, even pressure.
-
The correct response cannot be grasped, only meditated upon in the way of a koan used to train Zen Buddhist monks and force them into enlightenment.
Verb
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Women clutched photographs of sons and brothers killed in the war — many of them fighting for Hezbollah — while others held photographs of Nasrallah or Iran’s Khamenei.
-
Eitan, 3, clutched a dinosaur while his older brother, Abel, 6, held a bright orange fox clad in a rainbow long-sleeve shirt.
Verb
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Every young child is enchanted by the beautiful colors of the rainbow.
-
Throughout the set, lasers, strobes and flashes enchanted the audience, visuals dancing alongside the music.
Verb
-
Lollichon was the Rennes academy goalkeeping coach whose training sessions had intrigued him from afar.
-
We’re intrigued and a little frightened by the Pear Pressure at Gravity Sourdough Pizza, which includes sweet potatoes, goat cheese and maple honey.
Verb
-
The rapper, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, has been held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center since he was arrested in September 2024.
-
That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.
Cite this Entry
“Gripped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gripped. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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