Library / English Dictionary

GRAB

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: grabbed    , grabbing   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of catching an object with the hands

Example:

the infielder's snap and throw was a single motion

Synonyms:

catch; grab; snap; snatch

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

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

touch; touching (the act of putting two things together with no space between them)

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

fair catch ((American football) a catch of a punt on the fly by a defensive player who has signalled that he will not run and so should not be tackled)

interception ((American football) the act of catching a football by a player on the opposing team)

reception ((American football) the act of catching a pass in football)

rebound (the act of securing possession of the rebounding basketball after a missed shot)

shoestring catch ((baseball) a running catch made near the ground)

interlock; interlocking; mesh; meshing (the act of interlocking or meshing)

Derivation:

grab (take or grasp suddenly)

grab (take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of)

grab (make a grasping or snatching motion with the hand)

grab (get hold of or seize quickly and easily)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A mechanical device for gripping an object

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

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

mechanical device (mechanism consisting of a device that works on mechanical principles)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Capture the attention or imagination of

Example:

The movie seized my imagination

Synonyms:

grab; seize

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

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

fascinate; intrigue (cause to be interested or curious)

Sentence frames:

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

Sense 2

Meaning:

Take or grasp suddenly

Example:

She grabbed the child's hand and ran out of the room

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

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

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

Sentence frames:

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

Derivation:

grab (the act of catching an object with the hands)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of

Example:

Grab the elevator door!

Synonyms:

catch; grab; take hold of

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

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

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

Verb group:

catch (be the catcher)

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

harpoon (spear with a harpoon)

fish (catch or try to catch fish or shellfish)

hook (catch with a hook)

net; nett (catch with a net)

intercept; stop (seize on its way)

Sentence frames:

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

Derivation:

grab (the act of catching an object with the hands)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Make a grasping or snatching motion with the hand

Example:

The passenger grabbed for the oxygen mask

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

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

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

grab (the act of catching an object with the hands)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Get hold of or seize quickly and easily

Example:

I snapped up all the good buys during the garage sale

Synonyms:

grab; snaffle; snap up

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

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

take (take into one's possession)

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

hog (take greedily; take more than one's share)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

grab (the act of catching an object with the hands)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Obtain illegally or unscrupulously

Example:

Grab power

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

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

obtain (come into possession of)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Credits

 Context examples: 

The strong magnetic field of the gas giant grabs charged particles from its surroundings.

(Hubble Captures Vivid Auroras in Jupiter’s Atmosphere, NASA)

The whole watch was tryin' to grab it, an' I rushed in an' got swatted.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

As I did the same I felt the hand of the man behind me grab at my ankle, but I kicked myself free and scrambled over a grass-strewn coping.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Then the Stork with her great claws grabbed the Scarecrow by the arm and carried him up into the air and back to the bank, where Dorothy and the Lion and the Tin Woodman and Toto were sitting.

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

If you grabbed piles of grains and built a sand castle on Titan, it would perhaps stay together for weeks due to their electrostatic properties, said Josef Dufek, the Georgia Tech professor who co-led the study.

('Electric Sands' Cover Titan, VOA News)

Its owner grabbed at its legs, but too late to hold it.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

From that position, they are able to grab the bats in mid-air.

(Snakes Hunt in Groups, Study Suggests, VOA)

When the Count saw my face, his eyes blazed with a sort of demoniac fury, and he suddenly made a grab at my throat.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Sometimes, however, you can’t wait and have no choice but to grab it—then go ahead and do it.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

You won’t have full control—your partner in love or business will be in the driver’s seat—so it would be best to listen to your partner’s advice and be a willing teammate, rather than try to overrule things to grab control.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)