1
as in hugged
to put one's arms around and press tightly
clasped his long-lost sister and cried without restraint
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in held
to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms
clasped a crayon and began drawing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clasped
At the end, before Fallon reappeared, all pep and cheer, Forge clasped his hands together and closed his eyes, as if locked in prayer.
—
Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
There were only two worshippers, one in the water, hands clasped in prayer, and the other seated on the bottommost step, looking intently toward the river or maybe at the other bather.
—Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
Women clasped hands in ring dances.
—John Leland, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2024
Others clasped their hands in prayer.
—Abby Sewell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2024
When the town hall ended, Harris went over and clasped hands with Castillo, whose face was still streaked with tears.
—Will Weissert, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2024
At the end of the roughly 30-minute hearing, as the courtroom was cleared of most spectators and press, Combs stood and gave several bows, with his hands clasped, toward family members, who were allowed to stay inside the courtroom.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2024
Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
There were only two worshippers, one in the water, hands clasped in prayer, and the other seated on the bottommost step, looking intently toward the river or maybe at the other bather.
—Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
Women clasped hands in ring dances.
—John Leland, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2024
Others clasped their hands in prayer.
—Abby Sewell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2024
When the town hall ended, Harris went over and clasped hands with Castillo, whose face was still streaked with tears.
—Will Weissert, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2024
At the end of the roughly 30-minute hearing, as the courtroom was cleared of most spectators and press, Combs stood and gave several bows, with his hands clasped, toward family members, who were allowed to stay inside the courtroom.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clasped
Verb
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Gospel music played on speakers, family members served chicken soup, strangers hugged each other, friends left carrying several plates stuffed with leftover food.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
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But when Joe gets pulled away by his old search-and-rescue squad mates, Slightly has to improvise and take advantage of the chaos in the lab caused by the eyeball, locking poor Arthur — one of the few adults on the island putting the Lost Boys’ safety above all else — inside to get his face hugged.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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This thoughtful composition from Yang Bo was taken in the sky over Nanjing, China during totality, creating the illusion that the blood moon is being grasped in the claw of a vast stone dragon.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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The robot must determine where the object can be safely grasped, whether surfaces will slip or break under pressure, and how weight is distributed.—
Tejasri Gururaj,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Murdochs and Redstones are far from the only families that clung tenaciously to control of their media empires for as long as possible.—
Howard Homonoff,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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In addition to the mouse study, the researchers also confirmed that the protein quickly clung to carbon monoxide in human blood in test tubes.—
Sara Novak,
Scientific American,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As a lead disappeared, a normally calm and collected Stafford gripped his blue and gold helmet and spiked it into the turf at Nissan Stadium.—
Nate Atkins,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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International headlines often paint Haiti as a nation gripped by crisis — from political unrest and economic hardship to uncertainty about the future and unruly crime.—
Footwear News,
Footwear News,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This just took so much out of me.—
Steve Baltin,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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So that trade talks could proceed, America lowered its tariffs against China to a still-high 30%, while China took its rate to 10%.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clasped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clasped. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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