1
as in hugging
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 holding
to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms
clasped a crayon and began drawing
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Recent Examples of clasping
In one segment, when Kimmel and McNearney pick up a hitchhiking Olivia Rodrigo while taking the family to school, Jane shows off her personality, clasping her hands over her mouth in disbelief when Rodrigo enters the car, only to sing-along with the pop star on her way to school.
—
ABC News, 12 May 2026
McDaniels held onto Murray for dear life — often literally clasping his jersey — as the Nuggets tried to run him off every conceivable screen.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
The june bug falls to the bottom of the bag but manages to recover from a new round of kicking by clasping to a leaf.
—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
Others showed baby Spero clasping his tiny hand around Graham's finger and slumbering with a smile on his face.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Mar. 2026
Back at the gathering, there were Martha’s groans and Gretchen’s anger, and there was Mike, clasping his chest—a heart attack?
—Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Olympic nails have been seen clasping medals on more than one occasion.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
Then the beetle seeks out an ant — climbing on top of it, clasping its antennae in its jaws and scooping up its pheromones with brush-like legs.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
To keep the jewelry clean, Glasser covered them in bubblegum wrappers, removing them before clasping the dress in place.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 3 Feb. 2026
ABC News, 12 May 2026
McDaniels held onto Murray for dear life — often literally clasping his jersey — as the Nuggets tried to run him off every conceivable screen.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
The june bug falls to the bottom of the bag but manages to recover from a new round of kicking by clasping to a leaf.
—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
Others showed baby Spero clasping his tiny hand around Graham's finger and slumbering with a smile on his face.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Mar. 2026
Back at the gathering, there were Martha’s groans and Gretchen’s anger, and there was Mike, clasping his chest—a heart attack?
—Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Olympic nails have been seen clasping medals on more than one occasion.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
Then the beetle seeks out an ant — climbing on top of it, clasping its antennae in its jaws and scooping up its pheromones with brush-like legs.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
To keep the jewelry clean, Glasser covered them in bubblegum wrappers, removing them before clasping the dress in place.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clasping
Verb
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Sitting just to the left of the net with American goaltender Connor Hellebuyck still hugging the opposite post, MacKinnon sailed a wrist shot just wide of the pipes.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
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Goodell had some fun onstage, hugging Buck in the increasingly aggressive way that he has been known to hug players at the draft.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Cross your legs while standing up and holding your arms out to the side, lower yourself to sit criss-cross on the floor by bending your knees, and stand back up—without using your hands, knees, or any furniture, or losing your balance.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
15 May 2026
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During Friday's Morning Meeting , Jim disagreed with investors piling into enterprise software stocks with no meaningful catalysts right now, including companies like Workday , ServiceNow , and Club holding Salesforce , following Ackman's disclosure.—
Natasha Abellard,
CNBC,
15 May 2026
Verb
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The third season of The Comeback has aired over only two months, but the season’s core adversarial relationship, between the grasping desperation of the creative community and the steady encroachment of AI, has only taken on an increasingly dominant role in Hollywood’s ongoing conversations.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
11 May 2026
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Unlike the thicker grasping fingers typical of primates, the aye-aye’s third digit is extraordinarily slender and highly flexible.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Many Democrats, spooked by the prospect of their party being frozen out in June’s top-two primary, have been clinging to their ballots, intending to vote at the last moment for whichever Democrat appears likeliest to finish first.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
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Staff members noticed immediately the two dogs clinging to each other.—
Kelsey Monstrola,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Throughout the gripping family drama, starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve as evangelical religious figures and parents of five who get caught in a nightmare with Norwegian Child Services, the rapt audience in the Grand Théâtre Lumière barely made a sound.—
Jada Yuan,
HollywoodReporter,
18 May 2026
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The authors found distinctive puncture marks, skeletal damage and dismemberment patterns, all of which were consistent with an apex predator that immobilizes prey through concentrated gripping force, rather than prolonged tearing or chewing.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Verb
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The sponsors of House Bill 1430 boldly admit that our transportation taxes have been hijacked to pay for education and health care, and that taking those funds out of the legislature’s cookie jar will create shortfalls.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
19 May 2026
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Around 25 million lightning strikes occur in the United States every year, with most taking place during the summer months.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clasping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clasping. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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