as in clenched
to have or keep in one's hands
he clutched the eggs carefully so he wouldn't drop them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clutched
Allowance clutched in hot hands, the neighborhood kids come together to choose among ice pops, Italian ice, and all kinds of colorful ice cream treats.
—
Holly Lebowitz Rossi,
Parents,
2 July 2026
Women clutched photographs of sons and brothers killed in the war — many of them fighting for Hezbollah — while others held photographs of Nasrallah or Iran’s Khamenei.
—
Fadi Tawil,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2026
Eitan, 3, clutched a dinosaur while his older brother, Abel, 6, held a bright orange fox clad in a rainbow long-sleeve shirt.
—
Miami Herald,
25 June 2026
And there Salah was, standing barefoot on a small podium, the Player of the Game trophy clutched between his hands.
—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
22 June 2026
Hathaway clutched her belly one last time before running off camera.
—
Hannah Malach,
InStyle,
19 June 2026
The family clutched onto one another as the carriage tipped over at Cherry Hill near Bethesda Fountain, but the boy’s mother fell out.
—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
18 June 2026
He had been sucked out of a cabin on the morning of July 4 as children clutched at his limbs.
—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
Over about 20 minutes, Swift crafted a portrait of a record-breaking artist who is two decades into a career that has enabled her to work with so many collaborators (including Liz Rose, who was in attendance and who clutched Swift’s hands when All Too Well played over the speakers).
—
P. Claire Dodson,
Vogue,
12 June 2026
Holly Lebowitz Rossi,
Parents,
2 July 2026
Women clutched photographs of sons and brothers killed in the war — many of them fighting for Hezbollah — while others held photographs of Nasrallah or Iran’s Khamenei.
—
Fadi Tawil,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2026
Eitan, 3, clutched a dinosaur while his older brother, Abel, 6, held a bright orange fox clad in a rainbow long-sleeve shirt.
—
Miami Herald,
25 June 2026
And there Salah was, standing barefoot on a small podium, the Player of the Game trophy clutched between his hands.
—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
22 June 2026
Hathaway clutched her belly one last time before running off camera.
—
Hannah Malach,
InStyle,
19 June 2026
The family clutched onto one another as the carriage tipped over at Cherry Hill near Bethesda Fountain, but the boy’s mother fell out.
—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
18 June 2026
He had been sucked out of a cabin on the morning of July 4 as children clutched at his limbs.
—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
Over about 20 minutes, Swift crafted a portrait of a record-breaking artist who is two decades into a career that has enabled her to work with so many collaborators (including Liz Rose, who was in attendance and who clutched Swift’s hands when All Too Well played over the speakers).
—
P. Claire Dodson,
Vogue,
12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clutched
Verb
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The White House Key Facts A rendering of the passport shared by the White House on Friday shows Trump presumably leaning over the Resolute Desk, fists clenched, alongside his signature and text from the Declaration of Independence.
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Coley and the audience know this isn’t true, but Sonya’s clenched jaw and steely gaze don’t leave room for questions.
Verb
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Like much of Europe, Romania has been gripped by a heatwave this week, with temperatures in some areas forecast to exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
-
Button Gwinnett didn’t want to be in Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress in the summer of 1776, and not just because a heat wave gripped the city and delegates dressed in wool and powdered wigs.
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.
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That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.
Verb
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When Kennedy approached the rider and grabbed the handlebars to check whether the bike was registered, the rider refused to get off and allegedly tried to pull away.
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Maura Higgins, breakout star of The Traitors, grabbed her best tennis whites to ace the style assignment at Wimbledon 2026.
Cite this Entry
“Clutched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clutched. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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