: taking a powerful hold upon one's interest or feelings
a gripping thriller
Shabba Ranks has a gripping baritone voice that ranges from bedroom purr to locker-room-boast roar.—
Mark Coleman
Mark Coleman
grippingly
adverb
a grippingly honest performance
Examples of gripping in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In a narrative that often reads like a blockbuster film (and is already being adapted into a screenplay), Jacobsen delves into this unsettling question with gripping urgency.
—Michael Sheldrick, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
Those associations, packaged in a gripping novel, make Tess of the D’Urbervilles an apt book for a long, dark night.
—Amanda Parrish Morgan, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2024
Jones’s gripping performance garnered immediate buzz after the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival this summer and was further burnished last week with a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actress.
—Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 17 Dec. 2024
In this gripping account, author and lawyer Marcia Clark — who also prosecuted O.J. Simpson — lays out her own investigation of the case.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 15 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gripping 
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.
Michael Sheldrick, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
Those associations, packaged in a gripping novel, make Tess of the D’Urbervilles an apt book for a long, dark night.
—Amanda Parrish Morgan, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2024
Jones’s gripping performance garnered immediate buzz after the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival this summer and was further burnished last week with a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actress.
—Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 17 Dec. 2024
In this gripping account, author and lawyer Marcia Clark — who also prosecuted O.J. Simpson — lays out her own investigation of the case.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 15 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gripping
Dictionary Entries Near gripping
Cite this Entry
“Gripping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gripping. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share