GRAB (grabbed, grabbing)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: grabbed    , grabbing   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does grab mean? 

• GRAB (noun)
  The noun GRAB has 2 senses:

1. a mechanical device for gripping an object

2. the act of catching an object with the hands

  Familiarity information: GRAB used as a noun is rare.

• GRAB (verb)
  The verb GRAB has 6 senses:

1. take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of

2. get hold of or seize quickly and easily

3. make a grasping or snatching motion with the hand

4. obtain illegally or unscrupulously

5. take or grasp suddenly

6. capture the attention or imagination of

  Familiarity information: GRAB used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• GRAB (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A mechanical device for gripping an object

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("grab" is a kind of...):

mechanical device (mechanism consisting of a device that works on mechanical principles)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of catching an object with the hands

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

catch; grab; snap; snatch

Context example:

the infielder's snap and throw was a single motion

Hypernyms ("grab" is a kind of...):

touch; touching (the act of putting two things together with no space between them)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "grab"):

fair catch ((American football) a catch of a punt on the fly by a defensive player who has signalled that he will not run and so should not be tackled)

interception ((American football) the act of catching a football by a player on the opposing team)

reception ((American football) the act of catching a pass in football)

rebound (the act of securing possession of the rebounding basketball after a missed shot)

shoestring catch ((baseball) a running catch made near the ground)

interlock; interlocking; mesh; meshing (the act of interlocking or meshing)

Derivation:

grab (take or grasp suddenly)

grab (take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of)

grab (make a grasping or snatching motion with the hand)

grab (get hold of or seize quickly and easily)

• GRAB (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they grab    ... he / she / it grabs   
Past simple: grabbed   
Past participle: grabbed   
-ing form: grabbing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

catch; grab; take hold of

Context example:

Grab the elevator door!

Hypernyms (to "grab" is one way to...):

clutch; prehend; seize (take hold of; grab)

Verb group:

catch (be the catcher)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "grab"):

harpoon (spear with a harpoon)

fish (catch or try to catch fish or shellfish)

hook (catch with a hook)

net; nett (catch with a net)

intercept; stop (seize on its way)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

grab (the act of catching an object with the hands)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Get hold of or seize quickly and easily

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

grab; snaffle; snap up

Context example:

I snapped up all the good buys during the garage sale

Hypernyms (to "grab" is one way to...):

take (take into one's possession)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "grab"):

hog (take greedily; take more than one's share)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

grab (the act of catching an object with the hands)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Make a grasping or snatching motion with the hand

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

The passenger grabbed for the oxygen mask

Hypernyms (to "grab" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

grab (the act of catching an object with the hands)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Obtain illegally or unscrupulously

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

Grab power

Hypernyms (to "grab" is one way to...):

obtain (come into possession of)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 5

Meaning:

Take or grasp suddenly

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

She grabbed the child's hand and ran out of the room

Hypernyms (to "grab" is one way to...):

clutch; prehend; seize (take hold of; grab)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

grab (the act of catching an object with the hands)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Capture the attention or imagination of

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

grab; seize

Context example:

The movie seized my imagination

Hypernyms (to "grab" is one way to...):

fascinate; intrigue (cause to be interested or curious)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

 Context examples 

Others are much simpler, like a "reacher" - a tool that helps you grab an object you can't reach.

(Assistive Devices, NIH)

He was grabbing at our stores all the time he spoke.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The next time you’re hungry for a snack, you may want to grab a handful of nuts, as new research suggests they lower the risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases.

(Daily Handful of Nuts Reduces Disease Risk, VOA)

Rock can grab and hold onto water in a variety of ways.

(Seismic study reveals huge amount of water dragged into Earth’s interior, National Science Foundation)

The hunts, he said, were always successful, and that the more snakes, the shorter amount of time is took each to grab a bat.

(Snakes Hunt in Groups, Study Suggests, VOA)

If something novel grabs your attention, you’re more likely to remember things that happened right before or after the event.

(How novelty boosts memory retention, NIH)

I would rather you not, but if you have been out of work a long time, by all means grab it.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

I saw the mist stealing in, and I grabbed it tight.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

A married woman grabs at her baby; an unmarried one reaches for her jewel-box.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Oh, the fellows evidently grabbed hold of everything they could get.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)