1
as in clenched
to have or keep in one's hands
gripped the handlebars tightly and raced down the hill
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gripped
Society is gripped by disbelief, collective trauma and the aftermath of more than 30,000 deaths.
—
Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
Two years after a mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally gripped the city, Reba Paul is still searching for some form of accountability for what happened to her brother.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 14 Feb. 2026
Fans want to see decisive leadership, a clear sense that the steering wheel is being tightly gripped at difficult moments.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Investors were anxious on the final trading session of the week, after AI concerns gripped equity markets again to trigger a fresh sell-off — this time, hitting the logistics and real estate sectors.
—Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
And for anyone who has ever been gripped by the eerie tale of the Crain family, the prospect of experiencing those chills in a live setting promises to be something entirely different.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
The freezing temperatures have gripped the area since the major snowstorm.
—Christina Fan, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Her baffling disappearance has gripped the nation, leading many Americans to question how an octogenarian leading a sleepy life in the Southwest was taken while her neighbors were asleep.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Some soaking adherents tightly gripped iron chains secured to concrete stairs so the fast-rushing flow from the Himalayas wouldn’t fatally sweep them downstream.
—Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 4 Feb. 2026
Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
Two years after a mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally gripped the city, Reba Paul is still searching for some form of accountability for what happened to her brother.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 14 Feb. 2026
Fans want to see decisive leadership, a clear sense that the steering wheel is being tightly gripped at difficult moments.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Investors were anxious on the final trading session of the week, after AI concerns gripped equity markets again to trigger a fresh sell-off — this time, hitting the logistics and real estate sectors.
—Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
And for anyone who has ever been gripped by the eerie tale of the Crain family, the prospect of experiencing those chills in a live setting promises to be something entirely different.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
The freezing temperatures have gripped the area since the major snowstorm.
—Christina Fan, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Her baffling disappearance has gripped the nation, leading many Americans to question how an octogenarian leading a sleepy life in the Southwest was taken while her neighbors were asleep.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Some soaking adherents tightly gripped iron chains secured to concrete stairs so the fast-rushing flow from the Himalayas wouldn’t fatally sweep them downstream.
—Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gripped
Verb
-
My stomach clenched with worry.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Don’t leave home without a rose clenched between your teeth.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
That classic capitalist disconnect — the alienation of the worker from their labor — fascinated him, and gave him the confidence that his premise would have universal resonance.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Feb. 2026
-
This is Taymor’s first production to embark on a national tour, and she’s been fascinated by the range of audience responses.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Things that interested me as a child, as a teenager and as a young adult still interest me.—
Peter Larsen,
Daily News,
5 Feb. 2026
-
What interested me from the very start was a certain fundamental clash of cultures that the crime seemed to have exposed.—
Scott Eden,
Rolling Stone,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Whether Assad grasped this is impossible to know.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
-
And on top of it all, a social platform has merged where the AI agents can gather to compare notes, with implications that have yet to be fully grasped.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The boy clutched it to his chest in overwhelmed delight.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Alessandro clutched his dad tightly.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Along with the clear Bowie and Orbison inspiration, the album’s influences reflect the tastes of someone recently enchanted by the romance of California.—
Millan Verma,
Pitchfork,
30 Jan. 2026
-
But silver is now an even hotter trade than Nvidia, the high-flying artificial intelligence beneficiary that has enchanted Wall Street since late 2022.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sehgal, who has studied sleep in fruit flies, and who was not involved in Fu’s research, was intrigued by the fact that these genes do not seem to be connected by a particular sleep process or brain pathway.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Epibatidine intrigued researchers for decades and was once highly sought after as a potential analgesic many times more powerful than morphine.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
15 Feb. 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 20 Feb. 2026.
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