Library / English Dictionary

GRIP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: gripped    , gripping    , gript   

 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 ("grip" 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 "grip"):

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:

grip (hold fast or firmly)

grip (to grip or seize, as in a wrestling match)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A portable rectangular container for carrying clothes

Example:

he carried his small bag onto the plane with him

Synonyms:

bag; grip; suitcase; traveling bag; travelling bag

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

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

baggage; luggage (cases used to carry belongings when traveling)

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

carpetbag (traveling bag made of carpet; widely used in 19th century)

garment bag (a suitcase that unfolds to be hung up)

gripsack (a small suitcase)

overnight bag; overnight case; overnighter (a small traveling bag to carry clothing and accessories for staying overnight)

Gladstone; Gladstone bag; portmanteau (a large travelling bag made of stiff leather)

weekender (a small suitcase to carry clothing and accessories for a weekend trip)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A flat wire hairpin whose prongs press tightly together; used to hold bobbed hair in place

Example:

in Britain they call a bobby pin a grip

Synonyms:

bobby pin; grip; hairgrip

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

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

hairpin (a double pronged pin used to hold women's hair in place)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The appendage to an object that is designed to be held in order to use or move it

Example:

it was an old briefcase but it still had a good grip

Synonyms:

grip; handgrip; handle; hold

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

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

appendage (a part that is joined to something larger)

Meronyms (parts of "grip"):

shank; stem (cylinder forming a long narrow part of something)

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

crop (the stock or handle of a whip)

haft; helve (the handle of a weapon or tool)

hilt (the handle of a sword or dagger)

hoe handle (the handle of a hoe)

knob (a round handle)

mop handle (the handle of a mop)

panhandle (the handle of a pan)

pommel; saddlebow (handgrip formed by the raised front part of a saddle)

pommel (a handgrip that a gymnast uses when performing exercises on a pommel horse)

rake handle (the handle of a rake)

stock (the handle end of some implements or tools)

gunstock; stock (the handle of a handgun or the butt end of a rifle or shotgun or part of the support of a machine gun or artillery gun)

ax handle; axe handle (the handle of an ax)

broom handle; broomstick (the handle of a broom)

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

watering can; watering pot (a container with a handle and a spout with a perforated nozzle; used to sprinkle water over plants)

umbrella (a lightweight handheld collapsible canopy)

teacup (a cup from which tea is drunk)

aspergill; aspersorium (a short-handled device with a globe containing a sponge; used for sprinkling holy water)

spatula (a turner with a narrow flexible blade)

saucepan (a deep pan with a handle; used for stewing or boiling)

baggage; luggage (cases used to carry belongings when traveling)

racket; racquet (a sports implement (usually consisting of a handle and an oval frame with a tightly interlaced network of strings) used to strike a ball (or shuttlecock) in various games)

baseball bat; lumber (an implement used in baseball by the batter)

briefcase (a case with a handle; for carrying papers or files or books)

mug (with handle and usually cylindrical)

brush (an implement that has hairs or bristles firmly set into a handle)

ladle (a spoon-shaped vessel with a long handle; frequently used to transfer liquids from one container to another)

bat; cricket bat (the club used in playing cricket)

coffeepot (tall pot in which coffee is brewed)

cutlery; eating utensil (tableware implements for cutting and eating food)

edge tool (any cutting tool with a sharp cutting edge (as a chisel or knife or plane or gouge))

faucet; spigot (a regulator for controlling the flow of a liquid from a reservoir)

frying pan; frypan; skillet (a pan used for frying foods)

coffee cup (a cup from which coffee is drunk)

handbarrow (a rectangular frame with handles at both ends; carried by two people)

cart; go-cart; handcart; pushcart (wheeled vehicle that can be pushed by a person; may have one or two or four wheels)

handlebar (the shaped bar used to steer a bicycle)

French telephone; handset (telephone set with the mouthpiece and earpiece mounted on a single handle)

hand tool (a tool used with workers' hands)

cheese cutter (a kitchen utensil (board or handle) with a wire for cutting cheese)

carrycot (box-shaped baby bed with handles (for a baby to sleep in while being carried))

carpet beater; rug beater (implement for beating dust out of carpets)

Derivation:

grip (hold fast or firmly)

Sense 5

Meaning:

An intellectual hold or understanding

Example:

a terrible power had her in its grasp

Synonyms:

grasp; grip

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

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

influence (a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc)

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

tentacle (something that acts like a tentacle in its ability to grasp and hold)

Derivation:

grip (to render motionless, as with a fixed stare or by arousing terror or awe)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Worker who moves the camera around while a film or television show is being made

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

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

skilled worker; skilled workman; trained worker (a worker who has acquired special skills)

Sense 7

Meaning:

The friction between a body and the surface on which it moves (as between an automobile tire and the road)

Synonyms:

adhesive friction; grip; traction

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

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

friction; rubbing (the resistance encountered when one body is moved in contact with another)

Domain category:

auto; automobile; car; machine; motorcar (a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Hold fast or firmly

Example:

He gripped the steering wheel

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

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

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

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

bite; seize with teeth (to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws)

nip; pinch; squeeze; tweet; twinge; twitch (squeeze tightly between the fingers)

Sentence frames:

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

Derivation:

grip (the act of grasping)

grip (the appendage to an object that is designed to be held in order to use or move it)

Sense 2

Meaning:

To grip or seize, as in a wrestling match

Example:

the two men grappled with each other for several minutes

Synonyms:

grapple; grip

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

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

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

Sentence frames:

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

Derivation:

grip (the act of grasping)

Sense 3

Meaning:

To render motionless, as with a fixed stare or by arousing terror or awe

Example:

The snake charmer fascinates the cobra

Synonyms:

fascinate; grip; spellbind; transfix

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

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

interest (excite the curiosity of; engage the interest of)

Sentence frames:

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

Derivation:

grip (an intellectual hold or understanding)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Some hated thought seemed to have him in its grip, and to hold him so tightly that he could not advance.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Winter is taking a grip on Titan's southern hemisphere, and a strong, whirling atmospheric circulation pattern — a vortex — has developed in the upper atmosphere over the south pole.

(Cassini Sees Dramatic Seasonal Changes on Titan, NASA)

“What then?” asked Alleyne, trotting after him and gripping at his jerkin.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Lord John had me with a rat-trap grip round the legs, but I felt that he also was coming off the ground.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The threat might not have loosened Jim’s grip, but the voice did.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Let us get a firm grip of the very little which we do know, so that when fresh facts arise we may be ready to fit them into their places.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The questionnaire contains 8 categories of 46 items; dressing and grooming, arising, eating, walking, hygiene, reaching, grip, and activities.

(Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index Questionnaire, NCI Thesaurus)

D+Q alleviated normal age-related physical dysfunction, resulting in higher walking speed, treadmill endurance, grip strength, and daily activity.

(Senolytic drugs reverse damage caused by senescent cells in mice, National Institutes of Health)

I held out my hand, and the horrible, soft-spoken, eyeless creature gripped it in a moment like a vise.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

NR mice also showed better muscular and grip strength, higher endurance, and improved gait compared to their control counterparts.

(Compound prevents neurological damage, shows cognitive benefits in mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, National Institutes of Health)