gripping

adjective

grip·​ping ˈgri-piŋ 

: 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

grippingly adverb

a grippingly honest performance

Examples of gripping in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The play’s about choices, both mundane and gripping, and where those choices have taken the title character over her lifetime with children and three husbands. —Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 30 June 2025

Racks with this gripping feature provide greater stability, and there’s less chance of dishes falling and breaking due to the antislip qualities. —Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2025

But arguably the most gripping scene of the eight-episode season depicting Holy Week (now streaming on Amazon Prime Video) is the last, when Judas plants a kiss on Jesus’ cheek in the Garden of Gethsemane, identifying him to the authorities and putting the Crucifixion in motion. —Erin Jensen, USA Today, 30 June 2025

Rebirth is a gripping summer adventure anchored by its all-star cast. —Maureen Lee Lenker Published, EW.com, 30 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gripping

• chipping
• clipping
• dipping
• dripping
• flipping
• nipping
• ripping
• shipping
• sipping
• skipping
• slipping
• snipping