Library / English Dictionary

CLASP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of grasping

Example:

she kept a firm hold on the railing

Synonyms:

clasp; clench; clutch; clutches; grasp; grip; hold

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("clasp" is a kind of...):

grasping; prehension; seizing; taking hold (the act of gripping something firmly with the hands (or the tentacles))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "clasp"):

choke hold; chokehold (a restraining hold; someone loops the arm around the neck of another person in a tight grip, usually from behind)

embrace; embracement; embracing (the act of clasping another person in the arms (as in greeting or affection))

wrestling hold (a hold used in the sport of wrestling)

Derivation:

clasp (hold firmly and tightly)

clasp (grasp firmly)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A fastener (as a buckle or hook) that is used to hold two things together

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("clasp" is a kind of...):

fastener; fastening; fixing; holdfast (restraint that attaches to something or holds something in place)

Holonyms ("clasp" is a part of...):

bag; handbag; pocketbook; purse (a container used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women))

bangle; bracelet (jewelry worn around the wrist for decoration)

Derivation:

clasp (fasten with a buckle or buckles)

clasp (fasten with or as if with a brooch)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Hold firmly and tightly

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "clasp" is one way to...):

grasp; hold on (hold firmly)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "clasp"):

bosom; embrace; hug; squeeze (hold (someone) tightly in your arms, usually with fondness)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Antonym:

unclasp (release from a clasp)

Derivation:

clasp (the act of grasping)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Grasp firmly

Example:

The child clasped my hands

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "clasp" is one way to...):

clutch; prehend; seize (take hold of; grab)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Antonym:

unclasp (release from a clasp)

Derivation:

clasp (the act of grasping)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Fasten with a buckle or buckles

Synonyms:

buckle; clasp

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "clasp" is one way to...):

fasten; fix; secure (cause to be firmly attached)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

clasp (a fastener (as a buckle or hook) that is used to hold two things together)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Fasten with or as if with a brooch

Synonyms:

brooch; clasp

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "clasp" is one way to...):

fasten; fix; secure (cause to be firmly attached)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

clasp (a fastener (as a buckle or hook) that is used to hold two things together)

Credits

 Context examples: 

The pangs of transformation had not done tearing him, before Henry Jekyll, with streaming tears of gratitude and remorse, had fallen upon his knees and lifted his clasped hands to God.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

He was on the verge of clasping it.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

"Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" cried Dorothy, clasping her hands together in dismay.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

At first I attempted to prevent her but she persisted, and entering the room where it lay, hastily examined the neck of the victim, and clasping her hands exclaimed, ‘O God!

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

Then he hesitated, drew back, came forward again, and at last, to my wonder and confusion, threw himself on his knees and held out his clasped hands in supplication.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Then she kissed me more and more, and clasped me round the neck.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Collie, clasped in the arms of one of the women, watched him jealously and with a snarl warned him that all was not well.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

John got no further, for Meg cast him off, and clasped her hands with a tragic gesture as she fell into a chair, exclaiming in a tone of mingled indignation, reproach, and dismay...

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

How he suddenly and vehemently clasps in both arms the form he dared not, a moment since, touch with his finger!

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

With both arms clasping the branch, I scrambled hard with my feet until I had worked, first my body, and then my knees, onto it.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)