GRIP (gripped, gripping, gript)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does grip mean? 

• GRIP (noun)
  The noun GRIP has 7 senses:

1. the act of grasping

2. the appendage to an object that is designed to be held in order to use or move it

3. a portable rectangular container for carrying clothes

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

5. worker who moves the camera around while a film or television show is being made

6. an intellectual hold or understanding

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

  Familiarity information: GRIP used as a noun is common.

• GRIP (verb)
  The verb GRIP has 3 senses:

1. hold fast or firmly

2. to grip or seize, as in a wrestling match

3. to render motionless, as with a fixed stare or by arousing terror or awe

  Familiarity information: GRIP used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• GRIP (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of grasping

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

clasp; clench; clutch; clutches; grasp; grip; hold

Context example:

she kept a firm hold on the railing

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"):

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)

choke hold; chokehold (a restraining hold; someone loops the arm around the neck of another person in a tight grip, usually from behind)

Derivation:

grip (hold fast or firmly)

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

Sense 2

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

grip; handgrip; handle; hold

Context example:

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

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...):

coffeepot (tall pot in which coffee is brewed)

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)

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

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

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))

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

Derivation:

grip (hold fast or firmly)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A portable rectangular container for carrying clothes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

bag; grip; suitcase; traveling bag; travelling bag

Context example:

he carried his small bag onto the plane with him

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 4

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

adhesive friction; grip; traction

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)

Sense 5

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 6

Meaning:

An intellectual hold or understanding

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

grasp; grip

Context example:

a terrible power had her in its grasp

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 7

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

bobby pin; grip; hairgrip

Context example:

in Britain they call a bobby pin a grip

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

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

• GRIP (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Hold fast or firmly

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

He gripped the steering wheel

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

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

grapple; grip

Context example:

the two men grappled with each other for several minutes

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

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Synonyms:

fascinate; grip; spellbind; transfix

Context example:

The snake charmer fascinates the cobra

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)

 Context examples 

It was like the grip of death.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Mrs. Higginbotham divined from the grip on her arm as he helped her on, that he was not going to follow her.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

He was again in the grip of his mysterious malady.

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

As he spoke, Van Helsing's eyes never blinked, but his hand came out and met mine and gripped it hard.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

“Mas'r Davy!” he said, gripping me tight, “it do my art good to see you, sir. Well met, well met!”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Then came the day when, through the open cabin door, White Fang saw the fatal grip on the floor and the love-master packing things into it.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

All was going well when McCarthy laid his grip upon me.

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

Matthewson insisted that the phrase included breaking the runners from the frozen grip of the snow.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

Again I gripped him by the sleeve, and felt the thin, sinewy arm beneath it.

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

It was stark madness, perhaps, but in the very grip of Death he defied Death and refused to die.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)