n.
Function: noun
Date: 13th century
1 a : the claws or a hand in the act of grasping or seizing firmly b : an often cruel or unrelenting control, power, or possession <the fell clutch of circumstance ― W. E. Henley> c : the act of grasping, holding, or restraining
2 a : a coupling used to connect and disconnect a driving and a driven part (as an engine and a transmission) of a mechanism b : a lever (as a pedal) operating such a clutch
3 : a tight or critical situation : PINCH <come through in the clutch >
4 : CLUTCH BAG