Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense grabs, present participle grabbing, past tense, past participle grabbed
1. verb
If you grab something, you take it or pick it up suddenly and roughly.
I managed to grab her hand. [VERB noun]
I grabbed him by the neck. [V n + by/round]
Synonyms: snatch, catch, seize, capture More Synonyms of grab
2. verb
If you grab at something, you try to grab it.
He was clumsily trying to grab at Alfred's arms. [VERB + at]
Grab is also a noun.
I made a grab for the knife. [+ for]
Mr Penrose made a grab at his collar. [+ at]
3. verb
If you grab someone who is walking past, you succeed in getting their attention.
[informal]
Grab that waiter, Mary Ann. [VERB noun]
4. verb
If you grab someone's attention, you do something in order to make them notice you.
I jumped on the wall to grab the attention of the crowd. [VERB noun]
5. verb
If you grab something such as food, drink, or sleep, you manage to get some quickly.
[informal]
At night the kids grabbed a pizza from Frankie's. [VERB noun]
6. verb
If you grab something such as a chance or opportunity, or grab at it, you take advantage of it eagerly.
She grabbed the chance of a job interview. [VERB noun]
He grabbed at the opportunity to buy his castle. [VERB + at]
7. countable noun [usually singular]
A grab for something such as power or fame is an attempt to gain it.
...a grab for personal power. [+ for]
Synonyms: lunge More Synonyms of grab
8. See also smash-and-grab
9. to grab hold of
10.
See up for grabs
grab in British English
(ɡræb)
verbWord forms: grabs, grabbing or grabbed
1.
to seize hold of (something)
2. (transitive)
to seize illegally or unscrupulously
3. (transitive)
to arrest; catch
4. (intransitive)
(of a brake or clutch in a vehicle) to grip and release intermittently causing juddering
5. (transitive) informal
to catch the attention or interest of; impress
noun
6.
the act or an instance of grabbing
7.
a mechanical device for gripping objects, esp the hinged jaws of a mechanical excavator
8.
something that is grabbed
9. up for grabs
Derived forms
grabber (ˈgrabber)
noun
Word origin
C16: probably from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch grabben; related to Swedish grabba, Sanskrit grbhnāti he seizes
grab in American English
(græb)
verb transitiveWord forms: grabbed or ˈgrabbing
1.
to seize or snatch suddenly; take roughly and quickly
2.
to get possession of by unscrupulous methods
3. US, Slang
to attract strongly the attention of; impress greatly
verb intransitive
4.
to grab or try to grab something
often with for, at, onto, etc.
noun
5.
the act of grabbing
6.
something grabbed
7.
any of various mechanical devices for clutching something to be hoisted
8. Chiefly British
clamshell (sense 2)
SIMILAR WORDS: take
Idioms:
up for grabs
Derived forms
grabber (ˈgrabber)
noun
Word origin
prob. < MDu grabben, akin to ON grapa, grasp < IE base *ghrebh- > Sans grabh-, to seize
grab in Mechanical Engineering
(græb)
Word forms: (regular plural) grabs
noun
(Mechanical engineering: Machinery and components)
A grab is a device for gripping and lifting objects, especially the hinged jaws of a mechanical excavator.
An excavator with a huge grab was moving soil.
The slabs are handled by a hydraulic grab which stacks the slabs as close as a foot apart.
A grab is a device for gripping and lifting objects, especially the hinged jaws of a mechanicalexcavator.
More idioms containing
grab
grab something by the throat
Examples of 'grab' in a sentence
grab
Once again he had grabbed a cup goal.
The Sun (2017)
Shrimps had further chances to grab a second.
The Sun (2016)
Then the home side grabbed a deserved equaliser.
The Sun (2016)
We were grabbed and a knife held to my throat.
The Sun (2016)
The power grab of 1066 was predictable.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She then grabbed hold of the lowered front passenger side window but the 56-year-old put his foot down and sped off.
The Sun (2016)
Success almost grabbed the winner, thumping his shot straight at Boruc.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The centre-half kept a clean sheet and came closest to grabbing a winner for the bottom club, now five points from safety.
The Sun (2016)
But those more comfortable with their feet on the ground can grab a beer and enjoy dazzling nightly light shows on what is Downtown's busiest street.
The Sun (2016)
We can strike gold as a nation if we grab our chances.
The Sun (2012)
They must be presented in ways that grab the attention of more mature people.
The Sun (2013)
And they were not flattered when they grabbed the only goal.
The Sun (2016)
This has provoked claims of a power grab.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We just had to make sure we grabbed the chance.
The Sun (2013)
Provided most of the threat then grabbed the winner.
The Sun (2015)
He grabbed cash but fled when the worker pushed the panic button.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
He also grabbed a packet of crisps from the bar area.
Jan Fennell FRIENDS FOR LIFE (2003)
Grab some green beer and no other instruments.
The Sun (2014)
We set out to keep a clean sheet and grab something at the other end.
The Sun (2012)
It will grab us and hold us and bind us and tangle us up.
Christianity Today (2000)
So grab your opportunity to tell us which products you think are best.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Always ready to grab chances and act on advice.
The Sun (2014)
The drawing that grabbed my attention and made me stop looked different from the others.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Could have grabbed a winner and had chances when the service from midfield improved.
The Sun (2006)
But why the sudden desire for your custom and should you grab the cash?
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The game you faced was so precise that she made few errors and there were no free points up for grabs.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The Baggies parked the bus and the queue to grab the equaliser formed.
The Sun (2016)
A woman on a mobility scooter manoeuvred herself to the front of the crowd and attempted to grab his microphone.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
In other languages
grab
British English: grab /ɡræb/ VERB
If you grab something, you take it or pick it up roughly.
I grabbed him by the neck.
American English: grab
Arabic: يَقْبِضُ
Brazilian Portuguese: agarrar
Chinese: 抢夺
Croatian: zgrabiti
Czech: popadnout
Danish: gribe
Dutch: grijpen
European Spanish: agarrar
Finnish: tarttua
French: attraper
German: ergreifen
Greek: αρπάζω
Italian: afferrare
Japanese: ひっつかむ
Korean: 움켜잡다
Norwegian: gripe
Polish: porwać
European Portuguese: agarrar
Romanian: a înșfăca
Russian: хватать
Latin American Spanish: agarrar asir
Swedish: ta tag i
Thai: จับฉวย
Turkish: kavramak
Ukrainian: хапати
Vietnamese: tóm
All related terms of 'grab'
grab bag
A grab bag is a game in which you take a prize out of a container full of hidden prizes.
grab bar
a bar attached to a wall near a bathtub or shower to provide a handgrip for a person who is bathing
grab glory
Glory is the fame and admiration that you gain by doing something impressive .
grab handle
A grab handle is a handle on the side of an object such as a bathtub that you hold in order to help you get in and out.
power grab
an opportunistic acquisition of power
screen grab
A screen grab is an image that you create by capturing and copying part or all of a television or computer display at a particular moment .
grab a bargain
Something that is a bargain is good value for money, usually because it has been sold at a lower price than normal .
smash-and-grab
A smash-and-grab is a robbery in which a person breaks a shop window, takes the things that are on display there, and runs away with them.
smash-and-grab raid
of or relating to a robbery in which a shop window is broken and the contents removed
grab something by the throat
to make a determined attempt to control, defeat , or deal with something
to catch hold of something to grab hold of
Hold is used in expressions such as grab hold of , catch hold of , and get hold of , to indicate that you close your hand tightly around something, for example to stop something moving or falling .
to get ahold of
to manage to find , contact , or obtain someone or something
to hit the headlines grab the headlines
Someone or something that hits the headlines or grabs the headlines gets a lot of publicity from the media .
get ahold of sb/sth/ grab ahold of sb/sth
If you get ahold of someone or something, you manage to contact , find , or get them.
to grab hold of to catch hold of something to get hold of
Hold is used in expressions such as grab hold of , catch hold of , and get hold of , to indicate that you close your hand tightly around something, for example to stop something moving or falling .
Chinese translation of 'grab'
grab
(ɡræb)
vt
(= seize) 抓住 (zhuāzhù)
[food, drink, sleep]抓紧(緊)做 (zhuājǐn zuò)
[chance, opportunity]抓住 (zhuāzhù)
[attention]吸引 (xīyǐn)
vi
to grab at sth抢(搶)某物 (qiǎng mǒuwù)
n
to make a grab for sth向某物抓去 (xiàng mǒuwù zhuāqù)
to grab hold of sth/sb抓住某物/某人 (zhuāzhù mǒuwù/mǒurén)
(verb)
Definition
to seize hold of
I managed to grab her hand.
Synonyms
snatch
He snatched the telephone from me.
catch
He knelt beside her and caught her hand in both of his.
seize
an otter seizing a fish
capture
The police gave chase and captured him as he was trying to escape.
bag
Bag a rabbit for supper.
grip
She gripped his hand tightly.
grasp
He grasped both my hands.
clutch
I staggered and had to clutch at a chair for support.
snap up
pluck
He plucked the pen from behind his ear.
latch on to
catch or take hold of
(noun)
Definition
the act of grabbing
I made a grab for the knife.
Synonyms
lunge
idiom
See up for grabs
Additional synonyms
in the sense of bag
Definition
to capture or kill, as in hunting
Bag a rabbit for supper.
Synonyms
catch,
get,
kill,
shoot,
capture,
acquire,
trap,
snare,
pick off,
ensnare
in the sense of capture
Definition
to take by force
The police gave chase and captured him as he was trying to escape.
Synonyms
catch,
arrest,
take,
bag,
secure,
seize,
nail (informal),
collar (informal),
nab (informal),
apprehend,
lift (slang),
take prisoner,
take into custody,
feel your collar (slang)
in the sense of catch
Definition
to seize and hold
He knelt beside her and caught her hand in both of his.