1
as in clenched
to have or keep in one's hands
gripped the handlebars tightly and raced down the hill
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fascinated
to hold the attention of as if by a spell
that true crime story gripped me as much as any whodunit
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in interested
to hold the attention of
that movie will grip any true sports car fan
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in grasped
to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms
the baby gripped my fingers and wouldn't let go
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of gripped
War came in the summer of 1914 because of the all-encompassing fear that had gripped many Great Power leaders, looking for signs that they would be attacked.
—
Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
We are gripped by financial worry, social decay and political disagreement at a time of deep polarization and alienation.
—Tara Sonenshine, Baltimore Sun, 27 May 2026
Deputy Ruiz gripped the back of her neck and pushed her face into the carpet.
—Clare Amari, New York Times, 27 May 2026
Putin had supposedly spent weeks hiding in an underground bunker gripped by fears of an assassination or coup d’etat.
—Natasha Lindstaedt, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
The central African country and its neighboring Uganda have been gripped by an outbreak of the deadly viral disease, which the World Health Organization has declared an international public health emergency.
—CBS News, 23 May 2026
Over roughly five weeks in April and May, the MV Hondius, a cruise ship struck by a hantavirus outbreak that killed three people, gripped the imaginations and anxieties of onlookers worldwide.
—Renée Onque, CNBC, 20 May 2026
But the anger and the intensity of it was so acute that the experience was like being gripped on every page.
—William Earl, Variety, 20 May 2026
In a dystopian world where citizens wear white overalls and are gripped by fear of foxes, struggling couple Jude and Sam are visited by young foxfinder, William, sent by the state to inspect their farm.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 11 May 2026
Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
We are gripped by financial worry, social decay and political disagreement at a time of deep polarization and alienation.
—Tara Sonenshine, Baltimore Sun, 27 May 2026
Deputy Ruiz gripped the back of her neck and pushed her face into the carpet.
—Clare Amari, New York Times, 27 May 2026
Putin had supposedly spent weeks hiding in an underground bunker gripped by fears of an assassination or coup d’etat.
—Natasha Lindstaedt, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
The central African country and its neighboring Uganda have been gripped by an outbreak of the deadly viral disease, which the World Health Organization has declared an international public health emergency.
—CBS News, 23 May 2026
Over roughly five weeks in April and May, the MV Hondius, a cruise ship struck by a hantavirus outbreak that killed three people, gripped the imaginations and anxieties of onlookers worldwide.
—Renée Onque, CNBC, 20 May 2026
But the anger and the intensity of it was so acute that the experience was like being gripped on every page.
—William Earl, Variety, 20 May 2026
In a dystopian world where citizens wear white overalls and are gripped by fear of foxes, struggling couple Jude and Sam are visited by young foxfinder, William, sent by the state to inspect their farm.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gripped
Verb
-
On April 23, LeCroy remembered, Crews caught a sinking liner, held his glove in the air, clenched his fist and screamed into his glove.—
Spencer Nusbaum,
New York Times,
19 May 2026
-
Tuanzebe—born in Bunia, raised in Rochdale—is sprinting toward the corner flag, fists clenched at his waist, triumphant.—
Franklin Leonard,
Vanity Fair,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
But he’s always been fascinated by this heroine’s story.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
30 May 2026
-
The combined disgust, discomfort, ignorance, and fascination with our Indigeneity that unsettled my aunties and fascinated my cousins made more sense to me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
To my surprise, that interested him—most men wouldn’t have wanted to hear about it.—
Joyce Johnson,
New Yorker,
23 May 2026
-
Around the same time, Barwick and his then-student, Peter Haine, independently came up with a slightly different definition in order to answer a particular question in category theory that interested them.—
Konstantin Kakaes,
Quanta Magazine,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
And the lecture hall on that campus now features a large, ornate mural of a soccer ball being grasped by the hands of two people — freshly painted by the 2004 Morningside graduate as the city of Inglewood prepares to host eight World Cup games at SoFi Stadium starting next month.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
-
American has grasped that this will be a tournament when travel is experienced through friction as much as glamour, and that a brand which removes the challenges is remembered differently.—
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The bride clutched a casual bouquet of yellow and white cut flowers.—
Kim Willis,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
-
Teoscar Hernandez clutched at his left hamstring after running out a ground ball in the second inning.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
But Crowther’s sleuthing determines that Joyce’s novel was a regular companion of hers, and she was particularly enchanted with Molly Bloom’s closing soliloquy.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2026
-
The march always enchanted and created a fervent buzz that enveloped the town, driving to them a ready audience.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
The setting is an unidentified town in Ohio in the early 1970s, a rec center that plays host to a weekly meeting of seven women, all walks of life, who are intrigued by this new talk of Women’s Liberation and consciousness-raising.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
26 May 2026
-
The way they’re being listened to, the way a judge might nod at them or laugh at them or look intrigued by them.—
Elliot Mann,
Twin Cities,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
The rapper, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, has been held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center since he was arrested in September 2024.—
Daniel S. Levine,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
-
That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gripped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gripped. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
