grip
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: grĭp
ipa: /ɡɹɪp/
rhymes: -ɪp
Forms: form: grips
Etymology: Verb from Middle English grippen, from Old English grippan, from a Proto-Germanic *gripjaną (compare Old High German gripfen); compare the related Old English grīpan, whence English gripe. See also grope, and the related Proto-Germanic *grīpaną.
Noun from Middle English grippe, gripe, an amalgam of Old English gripe (“grasp, hold”) (cognate with German Griff) and Old English gripa (“handful”) (cognate with Swedish grepp).
Senses: examples: text: It's good to have a firm grip when shaking hands.
text: The ball will move differently depending on the grip used when throwing it.
glosses: A hold or way of holding, particularly with the hand.
examples: text: These tyres are worn out and don't have much grip.
glosses: Ability to resist slippage when pressed in contact with another object or surface.
examples: text: Near-synonym: handgrip
text: There are several good grips on the northern face of this rock.
text: The grip of a sword is part of its hilt.
glosses: A place to grip; a handle; the portion of a handle that the hand occupies.
examples: text: The unthreaded portion of the bolt's shank is called the grip.
glosses: A device, or a portion of one, that grasps or holds fast to something.
glosses: A device, or a portion of one, that grasps or holds fast to something.
An apparatus attached to a car (e.g., cable car, funicular car, mine car) for clutching a traction cable.
examples: text: He gave me a grip.
glosses: Assistance; help; encouragement.
examples: text: You're a real grip.
glosses: Someone who is helpful, interesting, admirable, or inspiring.
examples: text: We need to get a grip on these spiralling costs.
text: in the grip of a blackmailer
text: to strengthen one's grip on a company
text: Dotcom mania was slow in coming to higher education, but now it has the venerable industry firmly in its grip. Since the launch early last year of Udacity and Coursera, two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations.
ref: 2013 July 20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
text: The current president toppled his uncle in a violent coup in 1979, before sentencing him to death by firing squad. Since then, he has consolidated his grip over the country's industries and is accused of diverting tax money into his personal accounts.
ref: 2016 June 22, Max Bearak, “The world’s longest-serving president just appointed his son as VP”, in The Washington Post:
text: Instead England produced something that felt a little transgressive in this most controlled of stages, tightening their grip in a bruising first half, before freewheeling downhill in the second with their feet up on the handlebars.
ref: 2022 November 21, Barney Ronay, “Iran’s brave and powerful gesture is a small wonder from a World Cup of woe”, in The Guardian:
glosses: Control, power, or mastery over someone or something; a tenacious grasp; a holding fast.
examples: text: He's losing his grip – he's practically senile.
text: For God's sake man, stop panicking and get a grip of yourself!
glosses: Mental grasp.
glosses: A medium-sized bag or holdall for one's belongings, made of soft leather, canvas etc., and carried in the hand by two handles, one either side of the opening.
topics: computing
engineering
graphical-user-interface
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: A visual component on a window etc. enabling it to be resized and/or moved by dragging with a mouse or finger.
coordinate_terms: gaffer
gofer
qualifier: film or television production
glosses: A person responsible for handling equipment on the set.
examples: text: I need to get a grip of nails for my project.
glosses: As much as one can hold in a hand; a handful.
examples: text: That is a grip of cheese.
glosses: A lot of something.
examples: text: I haven't seen you in a grip.
glosses: A long time.
examples: text: She has the grip.
text: It so happened that, during a stretch of inclement weather in the fall, Lester was seized with a mild form of grip. When he felt the first symptoms he thought that his indisposition would be a matter of short duration, and tried to overcome it by taking a hot bath and a liberal dose of quinine. But the infection was stronger than he counted on; by morning he was flat on his back, with a severe fever and a splitting headache.
ref: 1911, Theodore Dreiser, chapter XXXII, in Jennie Gerhardt:
text: Grip! Grip!! The little touch of grip you had is no excuse for following the example of some of our "best citizens" who make every little ailment a pretext for dallying with the "demon"!!!!!
ref: 1908, A.D. Condo, The Outbursts of Everett True:
glosses: Archaic spelling of grippe (“influenza”).
examples: text: 'I put my grips against the communicating door last night'.
ref: 1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 35:
qualifier: archaic except rail transport
glosses: A small travelling-bag or gripsack.
Derived terms: Biddle grip
bow grip
bugger's grip
come to grips
death grip
deck grip
devil's grip
dolly grip
false grip
floorgrip
foregrip
French grip
gaffer grip
gangsta grip
get a grip
get to grips with
girl grip
grip-and-grin
grip-car
grip car
grip grain
gripless
grip-lit
gripman
gripper
grippie
grip tape
grip wax
hair grip
hair-grip
hairgrip
handgrip
in the grip of
Italian grip
key grip
kirby grip
matched grip
mechanic's grip
misgrip
mixed grip
multi-grip bar
neutral grip
neutral grip bar
overgrip
pass grip
passgrip
pistol grip
Singapore grip
squirrel grip
suicide grip
traditional grip
twistgrip
umbegrip
undergrip
Related terms: sense: a lot of
word: hella
word: hecka