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grab

verb · noun

Simple meaning

Make a grasping or snatching motion with the hand.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

grab
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɡɹæb

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. Make a grasping or snatching motion with the hand

    “The passenger grabbed for the oxygen mask.”

  2. Take or grasp suddenly

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

  3. intransitive

    To make a sudden grasping or clutching motion (at something).

  4. transitive

    To grip suddenly; to seize; to clutch.

  5. transitive

    To grip the attention of; to enthrall or interest.

  6. Capture the attention or imagination of

noun

  1. countable

    A sudden snatch at something.

  2. A mechanical device for gripping an object

  3. A device for withdrawing drills, etc., from artesian and other wells that are drilled, bored, or driven.

  4. uncountable

    A simple card game.

  5. A two- or three-masted vessel used on the Malabar coast.

  6. countable

    An acquisition by violent or unjust means.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Make a grasping or snatching motion with the hand

Used this way, grab is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Heard in a sentence
“The passenger grabbed for the oxygen mask.”
Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Usage note

It most often appears in the pattern “grab for …”, which is worth copying when you use it.

Natural pattern: grab for …

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

How It’s Used

The word’s distinct uses, one example each.

  • Make / gripverb

    “The passenger grabbed for the oxygen mask.”

  • Takeverb

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

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

grab baggrab barsland grabpower grab

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • grabbernounInflected form

    An unpleasant person who grabs inconsiderately.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • grab bagnounCompound term

    An assortment of miscellaneous items.

  • grab barnounCompound term

    A bar attached parallel to a wall to provide a handgrip for steadying yourself.

  • grab samplenounCompound term

    A single sample or measurement taken at a specific time or over as short a period as feasible.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.