I. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
be gripped by fear (= be very afraid )
▪
We were gripped by fear as the boat was tossed around by the waves.
be in the grip of an obsession (= have extreme feelings of interest in something or someone )
▪
At 15 I met Heather and instantly fell into the grip of an obsession.
keep a tight grip/hold/rein on sth (= control it very firmly )
▪
The former dictator still keeps a tight grip on power.
▪
Anna was determined to keep a tight hold on her feelings.
release your grip/hold (on sb/sth)
▪
The sudden noise made him release his hold on her arm.
sb's hand grips sth (= hold something firmly )
▪
Her hands gripped the steering wheel very tightly.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
firm
▪
The other retained its firm grip on the reins.
▪
I took a firm grip on the wheel as I scented some-thing.
▪
However, Dorset took a firm grip declaring at 202-3 in 54.3 overs.
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I keep a firm grip on my hat and stare into the blustery abyss.
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It is like trying to get a firm grip on a plateful of pudding.
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He grasped Dalgliesh's hand with a firm grip but didn't speak.
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She struck out blindly and found herself taken in a firm grip .
▪
Right-wing think-tanks have an even firmer grip .
good
▪
Shifting my weight left on the layoff to get a better grip I pulled again.
▪
I got a better grip , Lincoln testing my strength, experimenting with the power of the leash.
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A new Skywalk sole with an environmentally-friendly cleat pattern gives a good grip even on slippery rocks.
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Derek Jensen, best boy grip -- second unit; and Ronald Beale, chiropractor.
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Some had a better grip , while others were heavier and harder for us to swing.
▪
It's a very important part of being a good tennis player to have a good grip , very important.
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I told myself to wait a second, get a better grip , try it again.
strong
▪
In fact, he was getting a stronger grip on himself as he went along.
▪
Marsden held out his hand and took hers in a strong grip , at the same time giving the faintest possible bow.
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Usually players with a strong left-hand grip have a good forearm rotation because the arm is already part of the way there.
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He has held a strong grip over all matters at the club, from choosing the team to financial dealings.
▪
A graceful writer with a strong grip on story, Molly Gloss is also a writer with a political agenda.
tight
▪
The humans had grown their winter coats, and the high buildings trembled in the tight grip of their stress equations.
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Apple, however, kept a tight grip on its technology and suffered the consequences.
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The best way for the government to achieve this is to keep a tight grip on the tigerish tendencies of the economy.
▪
The tight grip of the Gascon nobility on the Church served their dynastic interests well.
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He got the ends of the belt around his hands and wound them into a good, tight grip .
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In Pomerania this reaction took the form of an even tighter grip on the feudal peasantry and serfs of the great estates.
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Outside in her car she kept a tight grip on herself, refusing to let her humiliation reduce her to tears.
▪
Anybody who thought that Bath's tight grip on the Pilkington Cup was over had better think again.
well
▪
Shifting my weight left on the layoff to get a better grip I pulled again.
▪
I got a better grip , Lincoln testing my strength, experimenting with the power of the leash.
▪
Give yourself a better grip by choosing sandals a half size smaller than usual.
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Some had a better grip , while others were heavier and harder for us to swing.
▪
I told myself to wait a second, get a better grip , try it again.
■ VERB
break
▪
Anger gave her an added surge of strength, and she twisted her arm sharply downwards and broke his grip .
▪
If we do not break the grip big business exerts on government now, we may never have the chance again.
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To struggle was only to weaken himself; he could not displace the weight or break the grip that held him down.
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He managed to break its grip before both animals burst through the wooden doors.
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We have to become acquainted with the manifestations of fear before we can break its grip .
▪
But of course our work will not end when we have broken the grip of the six major killer diseases.
come
▪
Those who accept the general orientation of modern science may well find considerable difficulty in coming to grips with this main point.
▪
Down came the familiar grip , the fingers closing painfully around his arm.
▪
However, it is possible to come to grips with the key factors to facilitate meaningful negotiation.
▪
We are still trying to come to grips with the problems identified by the Romantics.
▪
At that time, she was still coming to grips with her unexpected plunge into social activism.
ease
▪
He eases his grip on John's hand.
▪
She gave me a gooey smile and then eased her grip .
▪
Deflation, the curse of farmers and wage earners, seemed ready to ease its icy grip .
feel
▪
He could feel Duvall's grip on his throat relaxing, could see Duvall's poised hand lowering.
▪
He felt her grip lessen, and heard her hit the ground.
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It was as she turned to swim back that she felt the sudden grip of a pain across her back.
▪
Lifting his arm to strike, he felt a grip of iron round his wrist, restraining him.
▪
She was just about to call out when she felt the iron grip of an arm clasped round her throat.
▪
That presumably meant that she wouldn't feel it when her grip slipped.
get
▪
In fact, he was getting a stronger grip on himself as he went along.
▪
As the nation struggles to get a grip on medical costs, insurance companies have grabbed the reins.
▪
He wakes early next morning, and gets out at once, anxious to get to grips with the city.
▪
I told myself to wait a second, get a better grip , try it again.
▪
The whole program works very well, I still seem to have problems in getting to grips with some areas.
▪
Master Yehudi told her t9 get a grip on herself.
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Any attempt to get to grips with silence in music inevitably begins with Cage.
▪
She never got to grips with it and her colleagues had to help with her workload.
hold
▪
His hand slid downwards, holding hers in a grip that was suddenly unbreakable.
▪
No ism held him in its grip .
▪
He has held a strong grip over all matters at the club, from choosing the team to financial dealings.
keep
▪
They decide to go, too, but Frank has problems manoeuvring the car, whose tyres keep losing their grip .
▪
Apple, however, kept a tight grip on its technology and suffered the consequences.
▪
The best way for the government to achieve this is to keep a tight grip on the tigerish tendencies of the economy.
▪
To all appearances, it kept a grip on at least 30 million Muslimsmore than the entire population of the Maghreb today.
▪
On the first day of the conference all parties were able to keep a grip on themselves and talk calmly.
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His main interest appeared to be keeping a grip on the speakership, not enacting policy.
▪
Rohmer was still talking to himself, still keeping that vice-clamp grip on Gilbert's wrist.
▪
Try these drive-time tips to ease your commute: Keep a relaxed grip on the steering wheel.
loosen
▪
The woman jabbed her cigarette into the man's face and he loosened his grip .
▪
When I loosened my grip on him he tried to run back toward Clarisa, stumbling and crawling.
▪
Instead, he waited until the first fierce flood of tears had passed, then loosened his grip on her a little.
▪
I felt a shock charge through my hand and could not loosen my grip .
▪
He made a choking noise, and Marco loosened his grip fractionally.
▪
Richard first noticed me from across the street as he loosened his grip on the lamppost.
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When there is none, he loosens his grip and turns away.
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Gedge showed an extraordinary reluctance to loosen his grip on Rigby.
lose
▪
He lost his grip and fell into the car's path.
▪
If Perelman succeeded, Gutfreund, for the first time, would lose his grip on the firm.
▪
Half way through, the film loses its grip on the day-to-day reality in Northern Ireland.
▪
Niyazov does not appear to be losing his grip .
▪
I had made loops to go over her wrists, I told her, so that she wouldn't lose her grip .
▪
If the car begins to fishtail, the back wheels have lost grip .
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He began a forlorn final game by losing his grip on the racket altogether.
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It almost ensures that the skier will lose his or her grip on the ice, and most likely fall.
maintain
▪
Much stronger is 27 f5 and if 27 ... f8 then 28 f4 will maintain White's grip .
▪
But through it all, the majestic wolf has maintained its grip on existence, albeit by some very slim margins.
▪
He is another who has failed to maintain a grip on the advancing technology of credit and payment.
relax
▪
Never for one moment does this shimmering, simmering emotional desert storm of a film relax its grip on your senses.
▪
Weeping with merriment, gleeful through and through, she never relaxed her grip .
▪
When he tries to say something I relax my grip .
▪
He relaxed his grip on the mug, rolled his sleeves down, pushed his chair back.
▪
Try these drive-time tips to ease your commute: Keep a relaxed grip on the steering wheel.
▪
The pilots cautiously relaxed their grip and let their muscles slacken.
▪
But attitudes of this kind took time to gain the upper hand: the past relaxed its grip only slowly.
release
▪
Tithonus directly begs the Gods to release him from their grip and let him die.
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Before the audience can figure it out, I release my grip and tumble to the ground.
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Then you can simply release your grip and back slowly away over a few paces.
▪
Virginia Stillman released her grip on the chair and put her right hand under her chin.
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For a split second, Constance failed to realise that he had released his grip on her.
▪
Benton, in his terror, released his grip on her waist.
▪
Emilia sighed and released her grip .
struggle
▪
Prost's second place was never likely to be challenged as Piquet struggled to find grip form his Pirellis.
▪
As the nation struggles to get a grip on medical costs, insurance companies have grabbed the reins.
▪
He struggled against the nightmare grip that paralysed him.
take
▪
However, Dorset took a firm grip declaring at 202-3 in 54.3 overs.
▪
I took a firm grip on the wheel as I scented some-thing.
▪
By the time the interval beckoned, Celtic had taken a grip on the game in midfield.
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He must take a grip on himself.
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She struck out blindly and found herself taken in a firm grip .
▪
It seems, this thins out as dementia takes a grip .
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Inserting his left hand, Grant took a firm grip and heaved upwards.
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Don't struggle: take a grip with pincers or pliers and remove the sucker as though pulling out a nail.
tighten
▪
However, planning permission is required, and legislation is tightening its grip on mast sites.
▪
His arm shook and he tightened his grip on the stock of the rifle to still it.
▪
Unthinking, she tightened her grip and felt him laugh under her hands.
▪
There were months of interrogations, torture and repression as the military tightened its grip on the country.
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He signalled us to keep still as he stood upright, tightening the grip on his spear.
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Oats tightened his grip on the axe.
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Denis tightened his grip on his gun.
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Instantly her hands tightened their grip .
try
▪
She sat there for nearly half an hour, staring at the wall, trying to get a grip .
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He was trying to get a grip on the world.
▪
Jessica breathed deeply, trying to get a grip .
▪
We are still trying to come to grips with the problems identified by the Romantics.
▪
She was trailing behind the other two and trying to get a grip on her nerves.
▪
Mr Mugabe is trying to keep his grip on power by turning one group against another.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a firm grip/hold/grasp etc
▪
As darkness gains a firmer grip the songbirds fade and the owls start.
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As soon as one does so, its lips close around it, giving it a firm hold.
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But at current levels the shares are a firm hold.
▪
Choose a firm hold variant which will keep your style in place during winder weather and light drizzle.
▪
Clumps of sturdy weed grew wherever they could take a firm hold.
▪
I keep a firm grip on my hat and stare into the blustery abyss.
▪
It's safe but you need to have a firm grip to cut a 13-amp flex.
▪
Usually this happens because the task is too broadly stated to get a firm grasp on it.
a tight hold/grip
▪
The new business manager has a tight hold on the budget.
▪
Apple, however, kept a tight grip on its technology and suffered the consequences.
▪
Dominic crept carefully down the stairs, keeping a tight hold on the gleaming mahogany banister.
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He had a tight hold on the audience, totally in command of his band.
▪
It should not be imagined that the tiny Party élite at either of these provincial levels could maintain a tight hold.
▪
She would be keeping a tight hold on her feelings from now on.
▪
The best way for the government to achieve this is to keep a tight grip on the tigerish tendencies of the economy.
▪
The purge reflects the party leadership's concern with keeping a tight hold on the political reins.
▪
We got up, he pushed me roughly towards the door, keeping a tight hold of me.
a vice-like grip
ease your grip
▪
He eases his grip on John's hand.
▪
She gave me a gooey smile and then eased her grip.
loosen your grip/hold
▪
He made a choking noise, and Marco loosened his grip fractionally.
▪
I felt a shock charge through my hand and could not loosen my grip.
▪
Instead, he waited until the first fierce flood of tears had passed, then loosened his grip on her a little.
▪
It was on a block where he encountered three soldiers that he began to loosen his hold on the sequence.
▪
Richard first noticed me from across the street as he loosened his grip on the lamppost.
▪
The woman jabbed her cigarette into the man's face and he loosened his grip.
▪
When I loosened my grip on him he tried to run back toward Clarisa, stumbling and crawling.
▪
When there is none, he loosens his grip and turns away.
relax your hold/grip
▪
But attitudes of this kind took time to gain the upper hand: the past relaxed its grip only slowly.
▪
He relaxed his grip on the mug, rolled his sleeves down, pushed his chair back.
▪
Never for one moment does this shimmering, simmering emotional desert storm of a film relax its grip on your senses.
▪
The pilots cautiously relaxed their grip and let their muscles slacken.
▪
Then with excruciating slowness he relaxed his hold, allowing her to back away a pace.
▪
Weeping with merriment, gleeful through and through, she never relaxed her grip.
▪
When he tries to say something I relax my grip.
tighten your grip/hold on sth
▪
He tightened his grip on the sub-machine-gun, waited for the helicopter to slow and swing towards him.
▪
His arm shook and he tightened his grip on the stock of the rifle to still it.
▪
However, planning permission is required, and legislation is tightening its grip on mast sites.
▪
It was only when they tensed, curling and tightening their grip on the floor, did he realise they were alive.
▪
Oats tightened his grip on the axe.
▪
The suspended despair inside her splintered into a shuddering sob and Fernando tightened his hold on her.
▪
There were months of interrogations, torture and repression as the military tightened its grip on the country.
▪
They tightened their grip on the girl.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
I lost my grip on the branch, and fell out of the tree.
▪
If you're going rock-climbing, make sure you wear shoes that will give you a good grip .
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It's hard to get a good grip on this box.
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She looked anxious and tightened her grip on her shoulder bag.
▪
Squeeze a tennis ball regularly to improve your grip .
▪
The policeman had a firm grip on my arm.
▪
These tires assure good grip and a quiet, steady ride.
▪
This pen has a rubber grip for your fingers.
▪
To play this shot, you need to change your grip on the racquet slightly.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
His arm shook and he tightened his grip on the stock of the rifle to still it.
▪
I had made loops to go over her wrists, I told her, so that she wouldn't lose her grip .
▪
Niyazov does not appear to be losing his grip .
▪
The bureaucratic swamp soon recovered its grip .
▪
The pre-tax figure was above City expectations and gave evidence that the bank is finally coming to grips with its bad-debt problem.
▪
The throttle twist grip on the end of the collective stick has to be coordinated with the up and down movements.
▪
They were so keen to get to grips with the enemy that they disregarded much of the training in stealth and guile.
▪
You could yell once he had his grip in.
II. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
firmly
▪
A frond of endive approached his lips, hovered, was gripped firmly by admirably white teeth.
still
▪
The boy rose to his feet, still gripping the banisters and staring down at the figure in the doorway.
▪
Julie, still gripping the bloodied hammer, looked cautiously through the window by the front door.
▪
He was still gripping a Skorpion machine-pistol.
▪
She realised she was still gripping the stone, and dropped it with a little horrified cry.
▪
Fear of dying still grips our hearts.
▪
Perhaps some of us here tonight are still gripped by fear of death.
▪
MacMillan has come a long way since 1963 but Hermanas can still grip when done as well as this.
tightly
▪
Sensing she was being watched, she spun round to face the doorway, the Beretta gripped tightly at arm's length.
▪
These children often appear to be in agony as they awkwardly and ever-so-\#tightly grip their writing implements.
■ NOUN
arm
▪
He gripped his arms in fear, his nerves at snapping point.
▪
Sam gripped the arm of the chair.
▪
He might have been an ebony statue, larger than life, his hands gripping the arms of the chair.
▪
She gripped his arm tightly with both hands.
▪
But he gripped my arm and I was gagged and bound.
▪
He gripped her arm and pointed imperiously to the seat and she was glad to hurry and escape from his hard hand.
▪
She gripped my arms as she hugged me, as if to reassure herself I wasn't going to disappear.
▪
But he gripped hard at the arms of his chair and forced himself to attend.
country
▪
A World Cup-like atmosphere grips the country .
▪
Police and motoring organisations urged drivers to keep their speed down and take extra care as freezing fog gripped the country .
edge
▪
He gripped the edge of the nearest inspection plate and ripped a quarter of it away.
▪
Her upper body shot toward the desk, hands gripping the edges to steady her.
▪
Bull leaned out of the window, gripping the edge of the crumbling sill with spotlessly clean hands.
▪
I lay down and gripped the edges as the rug bubbled and rose beneath me.
▪
He threw down the washing-up mop and stood stock-still for a moment, gripping the edge of the sink.
▪
Maggie's stomach seemed to stay behind somewhere up above and her hands gripped the edge of the seat anxiously.
▪
Isabel dropped to the floor where she stood, one hand gripping the edge of the bench.
▪
Corbett stared down at his hands gripping the table edge .
fear
▪
That frantic jig at least had one positive effect: it released him from the fear that had gripped him so tightly.
▪
Still, fear grips me, compounded by self-disgust.
▪
Never has fear gripped me so tightly, yet it was exhilarating, fantastic even.
finger
▪
Four fingers were thrust, gripping , through a gap between the planks of the door.
▪
My fingers gripped the telephone receiver; my body tensed in a familiar effort to fight the rising emotion.
▪
He was tall and sinewy, and his fingers gripped her arms with a steely strength.
▪
Her long fingers gripped the spoon so tightly her knuckles were white.
▪
As his fingers gripped the knife and tugged, the blade sliced into his palm.
▪
The fingers gripping her windpipe slackened and Irina slumped backwards against the desk and slid to the ground.
▪
His fingers still gripped the edge of the door, his small body was pressed against it.
▪
Her fingers were gripping her dress, and she knew that she was trembling.
hand
▪
He left the bar with Maidstone's hat in his hand , gripping it firmly by the brim.
▪
How those middle-class Sorels and Maurrases adored it-the hand that gripped the knife with authority.
▪
One thin white hand gripped his wrist so hard that he yelped.
▪
One hand gripped my neck as he slowly entered me.
▪
He sat there, grim-faced, his left hand gripping the arm of his chair.
▪
Isabel dropped to the floor where she stood, one hand gripping the edge of the bench.
▪
One hand gripped a railing, the other drooped motionless at her side.
nation
▪
Even so, collective hypochondria grips the nation .
▪
The state has become a microcosm of the economic change that has gripped the nation .
▪
The move comes as the agriculture crisis continues to grip the nation .
▪
Thus, the crime epidemic now gripping the nation .
▪
But the big soap of the time was Emergency Ward 10, which gripped the nation every Tuesday night.
rail
▪
His hands gripped the rail firmly.
▪
Cobalt, who did not know, gripped the rail .
▪
Leonora gripped a rail with white-knuckled hands when the boat bucked as it met the wilder waters of the sound.
▪
He gripped the landing rail with hands as large as ham-hocks.
shoulder
▪
He shuddered at the sensation and his hands gripped her shoulders , moving with her, controlling her timing.
▪
But Lucy gripped her shoulders and Jay explored, dizzy with longing.
▪
Suddenly Stephen jerked his hand from her grasp and gripped her shoulder .
▪
His fingers gripped her shoulders cruelly.
side
▪
I sit with my arms wrapped around the chrome railing and my bare heels gripping the sides .
▪
They should grip the side of the wheel rim exactly when the brake levers are applied.
wheel
▪
He gripped the wheel tightly and held his face quite close to the windscreen.
▪
But the ride keeps you gripping the wheel .
▪
The Doctor swung himself round the door and gripped the locking wheel .
▪
Shortly after lunch, Durkin, attired in his motoring outfit, climbed into the car and gripped the steering wheel .
▪
Miguel stopped, gripping the wheel as he came to a red light.
▪
But no, he thought as he gripped the wheel .
▪
She gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles were white.
wrist
▪
One thin white hand gripped his wrist so hard that he yelped.
▪
Donald Stewart the blacksmith had to grip his wrist to make him sign the paper.
▪
She rushed into the kitchen, gripping her left wrist with her right hand.
▪
Before he could head off for the dustbin, Elinor gripped his wrist firmly.
▪
The door opened, and he gripped her wrist and pulled her through.
▪
Of a sudden Lexandro's free hand gripped Valence's wrist with a power which would have crushed any ordinary bones.
▪
Pike was talking to a waitress and gripping her wrist very tightly.
■ VERB
feel
▪
Jack felt Evans's hand grip his arm.
▪
He felt her restraining grip on his ankles.
▪
He watched the altimeter unwind and felt his straps grip as the desert floor swung up to face him.
reach
▪
Involuntarily she reached out and gripped Bob's hand.
▪
This advice from a simpler world had reached across centuries and gripped us both.
▪
Evans swore beneath his breath and Jack reached out and gripped him in rebuke.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a firm grip/hold/grasp etc
▪
As darkness gains a firmer grip the songbirds fade and the owls start.
▪
As soon as one does so, its lips close around it, giving it a firm hold.
▪
But at current levels the shares are a firm hold.
▪
Choose a firm hold variant which will keep your style in place during winder weather and light drizzle.
▪
Clumps of sturdy weed grew wherever they could take a firm hold.
▪
I keep a firm grip on my hat and stare into the blustery abyss.
▪
It's safe but you need to have a firm grip to cut a 13-amp flex.
▪
Usually this happens because the task is too broadly stated to get a firm grasp on it.
a tight hold/grip
▪
The new business manager has a tight hold on the budget.
▪
Apple, however, kept a tight grip on its technology and suffered the consequences.
▪
Dominic crept carefully down the stairs, keeping a tight hold on the gleaming mahogany banister.
▪
He had a tight hold on the audience, totally in command of his band.
▪
It should not be imagined that the tiny Party élite at either of these provincial levels could maintain a tight hold.
▪
She would be keeping a tight hold on her feelings from now on.
▪
The best way for the government to achieve this is to keep a tight grip on the tigerish tendencies of the economy.
▪
The purge reflects the party leadership's concern with keeping a tight hold on the political reins.
▪
We got up, he pushed me roughly towards the door, keeping a tight hold of me.
a vice-like grip
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
David suddenly gripped my arm and pulled me away from the road.
▪
He gripped the steering wheel firmly as he sped up to get on the freeway.
▪
His knuckles whitened as he gripped the microphone.
▪
I was gripped by the tragic stories of his childhood.
▪
Icy cold weather has gripped most of the East Coast.
▪
She found his hand and gripped it tightly.
▪
The car has wide tyres which grip the road really well.
▪
The university's campus is gripped by fear due to the two recent murders.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
A cool hand gripped him under each armpit.
▪
But he gripped my arm and I was gagged and bound.
▪
Five or six sparrows instantly alighted on my arms and head, gripping my skin with their bony little claws.
▪
Her long fingers gripped the spoon so tightly her knuckles were white.
▪
I gripped the banister and swung myself head over heels, then came out on the roof of a tower.
▪
One hand gripped my neck as he slowly entered me.
▪
She must have been six-teen or seventeen, and looked out at him with a poignancy that gripped his heart.
▪
The state has become a microcosm of the economic change that has gripped the nation.