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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gripped
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
As the midnight adjournment deadline approached on the final night of Illinois’ 1988 spring legislative session, a sense of pressure gripped the Statehouse.
—Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
Plus, the heels feature durable rubber outsoles, which gripped Copenhagen’s cobblestones even amid a slick, rainy tour of the city.
—Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 31 May 2026
War came in the summer of 1914 because of the all-encompassing fear that had gripped many Great Power leaders, looking for signs that they would be attacked.
—Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
We are gripped by financial worry, social decay and political disagreement at a time of deep polarization and alienation.
—Tara Sonenshine, Baltimore Sun, 27 May 2026
Putin had supposedly spent weeks hiding in an underground bunker gripped by fears of an assassination or coup d’etat.
—Natasha Lindstaedt, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
The central African country and its neighboring Uganda have been gripped by an outbreak of the deadly viral disease, which the World Health Organization has declared an international public health emergency.
—CBS News, 23 May 2026
Over roughly five weeks in April and May, the MV Hondius, a cruise ship struck by a hantavirus outbreak that killed three people, gripped the imaginations and anxieties of onlookers worldwide.
—Renée Onque, CNBC, 20 May 2026
Jay Harris, New York Times, 2 June 2026
As the midnight adjournment deadline approached on the final night of Illinois’ 1988 spring legislative session, a sense of pressure gripped the Statehouse.
—Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
Plus, the heels feature durable rubber outsoles, which gripped Copenhagen’s cobblestones even amid a slick, rainy tour of the city.
—Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 31 May 2026
War came in the summer of 1914 because of the all-encompassing fear that had gripped many Great Power leaders, looking for signs that they would be attacked.
—Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
We are gripped by financial worry, social decay and political disagreement at a time of deep polarization and alienation.
—Tara Sonenshine, Baltimore Sun, 27 May 2026
Putin had supposedly spent weeks hiding in an underground bunker gripped by fears of an assassination or coup d’etat.
—Natasha Lindstaedt, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
The central African country and its neighboring Uganda have been gripped by an outbreak of the deadly viral disease, which the World Health Organization has declared an international public health emergency.
—CBS News, 23 May 2026
Over roughly five weeks in April and May, the MV Hondius, a cruise ship struck by a hantavirus outbreak that killed three people, gripped the imaginations and anxieties of onlookers worldwide.
—Renée Onque, CNBC, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gripped
Verb
-
On April 23, LeCroy remembered, Crews caught a sinking liner, held his glove in the air, clenched his fist and screamed into his glove.—
Spencer Nusbaum,
New York Times,
19 May 2026
-
Tuanzebe—born in Bunia, raised in Rochdale—is sprinting toward the corner flag, fists clenched at his waist, triumphant.—
Franklin Leonard,
Vanity Fair,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Jim Jacoby, another Atlanta developer, was also fascinated by the Atlantic Steel property, leading their paths to intersect.—
Kelly Yamanouchi,
AJC.com,
4 June 2026
-
He was fascinated by Fey's scar When Fey was 5 years old, she was attacked by a stranger while outside of her home in Upper Darby, Penn.—
Desiree Ossandon,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
To my surprise, that interested him—most men wouldn’t have wanted to hear about it.—
Joyce Johnson,
New Yorker,
23 May 2026
-
Around the same time, Barwick and his then-student, Peter Haine, independently came up with a slightly different definition in order to answer a particular question in category theory that interested them.—
Konstantin Kakaes,
Quanta Magazine,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
And the lecture hall on that campus now features a large, ornate mural of a soccer ball being grasped by the hands of two people — freshly painted by the 2004 Morningside graduate as the city of Inglewood prepares to host eight World Cup games at SoFi Stadium starting next month.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
-
American has grasped that this will be a tournament when travel is experienced through friction as much as glamour, and that a brand which removes the challenges is remembered differently.—
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Her father ran onto the court to check on her as the American player clutched her injured ACL and meniscus.—
Brendan Le,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
-
The bride clutched a casual bouquet of yellow and white cut flowers.—
Kim Willis,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Then take a ride on Shrek & Fiona’s Happily Ogre After to hear how an ogre and a princess were enchanted by love.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 May 2026
-
But Crowther’s sleuthing determines that Joyce’s novel was a regular companion of hers, and she was particularly enchanted with Molly Bloom’s closing soliloquy.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
And then the story of Maciel came around, and his story intrigued me tremendously.—
Helen Acevedo,
Miami Herald,
3 June 2026
-
Although the article’s author branded Müller’s machine an obvious hoax, Feaster was intrigued.—
Ron Cowen,
Scientific American,
3 June 2026
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.—
Daniel S. Levine,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
-
That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gripped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gripped. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
