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
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
Grejo snapped his fingers for the cigarettes to be passed and lit one, but after a single long drag, Adi noticed, never smoked it again, instead clasping it between his fingers like a personal incense stick.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
After the speakers concluded, the crowd lingered, hugging and clasping hands before police announced the parking lot would be closed.
—Uwa Ede-Osifo, Dallas Morning News, 11 Jan. 2026
Use your left hand to stabilize your thigh by clasping the left knee.
—Gerard Hartmann, Outside, 3 Nov. 2025
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
Grejo snapped his fingers for the cigarettes to be passed and lit one, but after a single long drag, Adi noticed, never smoked it again, instead clasping it between his fingers like a personal incense stick.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
After the speakers concluded, the crowd lingered, hugging and clasping hands before police announced the parking lot would be closed.
—Uwa Ede-Osifo, Dallas Morning News, 11 Jan. 2026
Use your left hand to stabilize your thigh by clasping the left knee.
—Gerard Hartmann, Outside, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clasping
Verb
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Bay Harbor consists of two islands hugging the Broad Causeway, which stretches just west of Bal Harbour to North Miami.—
Catherine Odom,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
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In the photo, Martin can be seen hugging her cast members on stage while holding a bouquet of flowers and a handful of wigs.—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Surveillance footage showed Angel-Martinez, Castillo and Pineda getting out of their vehicle wearing masks and holding guns, according to court documents.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
4 Apr. 2026
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The Huskies were also dominated on the glass, with South Carolina holding a 47-32 advantage.—
David Brandt,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Faster grasping smarter robots The team tested HEAPGrasp on a real robotic setup across 20 scenarios involving different combinations of transparent, opaque, and reflective objects.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
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For a human, grasping the pattern typically takes seconds.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Many are still processing the loss while clinging on to Coleman's memory.—
Adi Guajardo,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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The cake is finished cooking when a wooden pick comes out with moist bits clinging to it.—
Robin Miller,
AZCentral.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The audio tour, narrated by former guards and inmates, is genuinely gripping for older kids.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
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When Georgia Tech baseball coach James Ramsey came to watch Vahn Lackey play as a senior at Collins Hill, Lackey wasn’t gripping the bat correctly.—
Sarah Spencer,
AJC.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Cameron House is dreamy, in part for its location and breath-taking views and in part for its blend of baronial grandeur and modern luxury.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 Apr. 2026
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Fort Worth Southwest Christian senior Lara Langford, a UMass-Boston signee, hurled four innings striking out four and giving up five runs in taking the loss.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clasping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clasping. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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