as in clenching
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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Recent Examples of clutching
The sight of 6-foot-10 center Gafford clutching that same right ankle has occurred more times than even Gafford can count in the Mavericks’ first 50 games this season.
—
Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
The mother walked out of the courtroom clutching her son and found an advocate with the Immigrant Advocacy Network in the lobby to explain her options.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026
After Vonn lost control and ended up in the safety nets, she was attended to by medical staff and appeared to be clutching her left knee.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
After the crash, Vonn was able to ski down to the finish area, albeit gingerly, while clutching her left leg.
—Outside, 30 Jan. 2026
Vonn then skied slowly to the finish line, stopping a couple of times on the way down and clutching her left knee.
—CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
The fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti were captured on shaky video by bystanders clutching smartphones in the bitter cold and standing within shouting distance of the victims.
—Maggie Vespa, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026
But for those who are not clutching their pearls or foaming at the mouth over Fennell’s interpretation of the original text, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi’s steamy take on the classic promises to deliver a whole host of method-dressing press tour looks for hungry audiences to obsess over.
—Olivia Allen, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2026
Somewhere, James Cameron is clutching his crown tightly.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
The mother walked out of the courtroom clutching her son and found an advocate with the Immigrant Advocacy Network in the lobby to explain her options.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026
After Vonn lost control and ended up in the safety nets, she was attended to by medical staff and appeared to be clutching her left knee.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
After the crash, Vonn was able to ski down to the finish area, albeit gingerly, while clutching her left leg.
—Outside, 30 Jan. 2026
Vonn then skied slowly to the finish line, stopping a couple of times on the way down and clutching her left knee.
—CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
The fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti were captured on shaky video by bystanders clutching smartphones in the bitter cold and standing within shouting distance of the victims.
—Maggie Vespa, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026
But for those who are not clutching their pearls or foaming at the mouth over Fennell’s interpretation of the original text, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi’s steamy take on the classic promises to deliver a whole host of method-dressing press tour looks for hungry audiences to obsess over.
—Olivia Allen, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2026
Somewhere, James Cameron is clutching his crown tightly.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clutching
Verb
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Melvin Council stood amid a crowd of his Kansas teammates, clenching a black belt in his fist.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Wole faced fixedly forward, both fists clenching the steering wheel.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But Haiti failed to hold general elections on Saturday as envisioned a couple of years ago, with gang violence gripping much of the capital and swaths of land in the country's central region.—
EVENS SANON,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Debris and sheet metal panels rained down from a Con Edison facility rooftop Saturday afternoon amid high winds in the current Arctic chill gripping the city, FDNY said.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Reality Check is a Star series holding those with power to account and shining a light on their decisions.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
-
FedEx and private equity investor Advent International will both each own 37 percent of shares in the company, with investment firms A&R and PPF holding 16 percent and 10 percent stakes, respectively.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Hearing the faint sirens of the white police officers who have been monitoring the area for no real reason, Kid attempts to blend into the party by grabbing the mic of the bored DJ—played by Parliament-Funkadelic’s George Clinton—to freestyle.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
13 Feb. 2026
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Or, Stein recommends grabbing a bed/mattress vacuum that is made specifically for the mattress.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clutching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clutching. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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