grabbed; grabbing
1
: to take or seize by or as if by a sudden motion or grasp
grab up an ax
grabbed the opportunity
grab attention
2
: to take hastily
grab a bite to eat
grab a cab
3
a
: to seize the attention of
the technique of grabbing an audience—
Pauline Kael
Pauline Kael
b
: to impress favorably and deeply
4
: to obtain without consideration of what is right or wrong
grab public lands
: to make a sudden snatch
grabber
noun
1
a
: a sudden snatch
b
: an unlawful or unethical seizure
a grab for power
c
: something taken, seized, or grasped suddenly
2
1
: intended to be taken, seized, or grasped suddenly
a grab rail
2
: taken at random
grab samples of rocks
Synonyms
Examples of grab in a Sentence
Verb
I have to go back in the house and grab my car keys.
The little boy grabbed onto his mother's leg and wouldn't let go.
I'll grab a taxi and meet you there.
Let's grab a bite to eat before the movie starts.
The store had a lot of nice stuff, but nothing really grabbed me.
The play grabs the audience from the opening scene.
One player in particular has been grabbing a lot of attention lately.
Noun
a political activist who thinks the government's lease of public lands to logging companies amounts to an illegal land grab
Recent Examples on the WebHazlitt, 5 June 2024
The Celtics are well suited to try and limit the Mavs’ offensive rebounding, the Celtics were second in defensive rebounding percentage grabbing 77.8% of available defensive rebounds.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 June 2024
Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2024
Polls cover two time zones and will close by 8 p.m.
State significance
There are 36 delegates up for grabs in the GOP race.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 14 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for grab 
Verb
The men dance around Madonna, grab her gloved hand to kiss it and place it on their abs, Magic Mike style.
—Hazlitt, 5 June 2024
The Celtics are well suited to try and limit the Mavs’ offensive rebounding, the Celtics were second in defensive rebounding percentage grabbing 77.8% of available defensive rebounds.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 June 2024
Noun
Who will control the U.S. Senate is also completely up for grabs.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2024
Polls cover two time zones and will close by 8 p.m.
State significance
There are 36 delegates up for grabs in the GOP race.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 14 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for grab
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grab.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near grab
Cite this Entry
“Grab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grab. Accessed 8 Jun. 2024.
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