grabbed; grabbing
1
: to take or seize by or as if by a sudden motion or grasp
grab up an ax
grabbed the opportunity
grab attention
2
: to take hastily
grab a bite to eat
grab a cab
3
a
: to seize the attention of
the technique of grabbing an audience—
Pauline Kael
Pauline Kael
b
: to impress favorably and deeply
4
: to obtain without consideration of what is right or wrong
grab public lands
: to make a sudden snatch
grabber
noun
1
a
: a sudden snatch
b
: an unlawful or unethical seizure
a grab for power
c
: something taken, seized, or grasped suddenly
2
1
: intended to be taken, seized, or grasped suddenly
a grab rail
2
: taken at random
grab samples of rocks
Synonyms
Examples of grab in a Sentence
Verb
I have to go back in the house and grab my car keys.
The little boy grabbed onto his mother's leg and wouldn't let go.
I'll grab a taxi and meet you there.
Let's grab a bite to eat before the movie starts.
The store had a lot of nice stuff, but nothing really grabbed me.
The play grabs the audience from the opening scene.
One player in particular has been grabbing a lot of attention lately.
Noun
a political activist who thinks the government's lease of public lands to logging companies amounts to an illegal land grab
Recent Examples on the WebCynthia Littleton, Variety, 26 Oct. 2024
Indiana almost certainly wouldn’t have grabbed a victory without him.
—Tony East, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Dan Cancian, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Voters in Uruguay, one of the most politically stable countries in Latin America, go to the polls Sunday to decide on a new president and on a major pension reform — with all 129 congressional seats also up for grabs.
—Marina E. Franco (noticias Telemundo For Axios), Axios, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grab 
Verb
In New York, the nation’s largest TV market, the fall classic grabbed a 13.2/37 in the same measures — meaning that a far bigger proportion of L.A. TV viewers were tuned in to the game live than were Yankees fans in New York.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 26 Oct. 2024
Indiana almost certainly wouldn’t have grabbed a victory without him.
—Tony East, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
The result means Norris has trimmed the gap to Verstappen by 10 points to 47 with four races left and 120 points up for grabs.
—Dan Cancian, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Voters in Uruguay, one of the most politically stable countries in Latin America, go to the polls Sunday to decide on a new president and on a major pension reform — with all 129 congressional seats also up for grabs.
—Marina E. Franco (noticias Telemundo For Axios), Axios, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grab
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grab.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near grab
Cite this Entry
“Grab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grab. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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