Meaning & use
grip
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A firm, tight hold on something, or the ability to hold something firmly.
Grammar: Often used with 'on': get a grip on the handle. Can be uncountable when talking about holding power: a strong grip.
Patterns
- a grip on something
- get a grip on something
- lose your grip
She tightened her grip on the rope and pulled herself up.
The tires lost their grip on the icy road.
He has a firm grip on the racket.
nounsingularfigurativeinformal
Control or understanding of a situation, often used in phrases like 'get a grip' or 'lose your grip'.
Grammar: Usually in the singular with 'on': get a grip on the problem. In informal use, 'get a grip' means control your emotions.
Patterns
- get a grip on something
- lose your grip on something
- have a grip on something
The government is struggling to get a grip on inflation.
After the accident, he seemed to lose his grip on reality.
Get a grip! Panicking won't help.
verbtransitive
To hold something very tightly, especially with your hands.
Grammar: Takes an object: grip the handle. Often used with 'onto' or 'on': grip onto the edge.
Patterns
- grip something
- grip onto something
- grip something tightly
She gripped the steering wheel and waited for the light to change.
He gripped the branch to stop himself from falling.
The child gripped his mother's hand tightly.
verbtransitivefigurative
To hold someone's attention or emotions very strongly.
Grammar: Often used in the passive: be gripped by fear. Takes an object: the story gripped the audience.
Patterns
- grip someone
- be gripped by something
- grip the imagination
The movie gripped the audience from the first scene.
He was gripped by a sudden fear.
The mystery has gripped the nation.
Word forms
| plural | grips |
|---|---|
| third person singular | grips |
| past tense | gripped |
| past participle | gripped |
| -ing form | gripping |
Common combinations
- get a grip
- You need to get a grip on your spending.
- lose your grip
- He's losing his grip on the team.
- firm grip
- She kept a firm grip on the suitcase.
- grip the wheel
- He gripped the wheel as the car skidded.
- in the grip of
- The country is in the grip of a recession.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hold
- A more general word for having something in your hands; 'grip' suggests a tighter, more determined hold.
- clutch
- To hold something tightly and desperately; 'grip' is more neutral and can be firm without being desperate.
- grasp
- To take hold of something, often with a quick movement; 'grip' focuses on the firmness of the hold.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: grip or gripe?
grip vs gripe
Gripe means to complain or a complaint; grip means to hold tightly or a firm hold.
Practice
She ___ the railing tightly as the boat rocked.
Choose one answer.
The past tense 'gripped' is needed because the action happened in the past. 'Grip' is the base form and doesn't fit the past time; 'gripping' would need an auxiliary verb like 'was'; 'grips' is present tense and doesn't match the past context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “grip”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.