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grip

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grip¹

  • /ˈɡɹɪp/
  • [ˈɡɹʷɪp]

Rhymes with -ɪp

Where it comes from

Verb from Middle English grippen, from Old English grippan, from a Proto-Germanic *gripjaną (compare Old High German gripfen); compare the related Old English grīpan, whence English gripe. See also grope, and the related Proto-Germanic *grīpaną.

Noun from Middle English grippe, gripe, an amalgam of Old English gripe (“grasp, hold”) (cognate with German Griff) and Old English gripa (“handful”) (cognate with Swedish grepp).

verb grips · gripping · gripped

  1. intransitive, transitive To take hold (of), particularly with the hand. That suitcase is heavy, so grip the handle firmly.
  2. transitive To figuratively take hold of or grasp. We need to grip this problem, not shut our eyes and hope it goes away.
  3. transitive Of an emotion or situation: to have a strong effect upon. As the water level began to rise, I was gripped by panic.
  4. transitive To firmly hold the attention of. The movie gripped me from beginning to end.

Similar: grasp

noun grips

  1. countable, uncountable A hold or way of holding, particularly with the hand. It's good to have a firm grip when shaking hands.
  2. uncountable Ability to resist slippage when pressed in contact with another object or surface. These tyres are worn out and don't have much grip.
  3. countable, uncountable A place to grip; a handle; the portion of a handle that the hand occupies. Near-synonym: handgrip
  4. abbreviation, broadly, countable, ellipsis, uncountable Ellipsis of pistol grip.pistol grip
  5. countable, uncountable A device, or a portion of one, that grasps or holds fast to something. The unthreaded portion of the bolt's shank is called the grip.
  6. countable, uncountable An apparatus attached to a car (e.g., cable car, funicular car, mine car) for clutching a traction cable.
  7. countable, figuratively, uncountable Control, power, or mastery over someone or something; a tenacious grasp; a holding fast. We need to get a grip on these spiralling costs.
  8. countable, figuratively, uncountable Mental grasp. He's losing his grip – he's practically senile.
  9. countable, uncountable A medium-sized bag or holdall for one's belongings, made of soft leather, canvas etc., and carried in the hand by two handles, one either side of the opening.
  10. countable, uncountable A visual component on a window etc. enabling it to be resized and/or moved by dragging with a mouse or finger.
  11. countable, uncountable A person responsible for handling equipment on the set.
  12. countable, slang, uncountable As much as one can hold in a hand; a handful. I need to get a grip of nails for my project.
  13. California, Southern, countable, slang, uncountable A lot of something. That is a grip of cheese.
  14. California, Southern, countable, slang, uncountable A long time. I haven't seen you in a grip.
  15. archaic, countable, uncountable Archaic spelling of grippe (“influenza”).grippe She has the grip.
  16. countable, uncountable A small travelling-bag or gripsack. 'I put my grips against the communicating door last night'.

grip²

  • /ˈɡɹɪp/
  • [ˈɡɹʷɪp]

Rhymes with -ɪp

Where it comes from

From Middle English grip, grippe, gryppe (“a ditch, drain”), from Old English grēp (“a furrow, burrow”) and grēpe (“a furrow, ditch, drain”), from Proto-Germanic *grōpiz (“a furrow, groove”). Cognate with Middle Dutch grippe, gruppe (“ditch, drain”), greppe, German Low German Gruppe (“ditch, drain”). Related also to Old English grōp (“a ditch, drain”). More at groop.

noun grips · gripe

  1. dialectal A small ditch or trench; a channel to carry off water or other liquid; a drain.
  2. A channel cut through a grass verge, especially for the purpose of draining water away from the highway.

verb grips · gripping · gripped · gripe

  1. dialectal To trench; to drain.

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