v. 1 seize, snatch, grab, grasp, take or lay hold of; hold; US snag She clutched feebly to the rope before losing her grip and plunging into the abyss below He clutched the child to his bosom.
n. 2 clutches. a grasp at, hold; embrace We watched as the gazelle deftly eluded the cheetah's clutches b influence, control, power, domination, dominance, possession He fell into the clutches of the Triads