grip
to hold something very firmly in your hand
To take and keep a very firm hold of something, usually with the hand or fingers.
a strong hold on something with your hand
A firm, secure hold on something, especially with the hand or fingers.
how well you understand or control something, or how calm and in control you are
A clear understanding of something or an effective level of control over a situation, activity, or emotions.
to make someone feel very interested or excited so that they cannot stop watching, reading, or listening
To strongly capture and hold someone’s attention or emotions, often through interest, suspense, or intensity.
the way a surface or material helps you hold something or stops it from sliding
The surface quality, pattern, or material of an object that helps it be held securely or stay firmly on a surface without slipping.
a person on a film or TV team who moves and sets up cameras and heavy equipment
A member of a film or television crew responsible for setting up, supporting, and moving cameras and related equipment.
- Base: grip
- Plural: grip, grips
- Base: grip
- 3rd Person Singular: grips
- Present Participle: gripping
- Past: gripped
- Irregular present participle: gripping Verb
- Irregular past: gripped Verb
come to grips with [something]
1begin to deal with seriously
to start to understand and deal with a difficult problem, situation, or feeling
- We need to come to grips with climate change.
- He is still coming to grips with his father’s death.
- The company must come to grips with its falling sales.
get a grip
1control your emotions or behavior
to start to control your feelings or actions, especially when you are upset or behaving badly
- You need to get a grip before you say something you’ll regret.
- He told himself to get a grip and focus on the exam.
- She finally got a grip and stopped shouting at everyone.
get a grip on [something]
1begin to understand or control
to begin to understand something clearly or to start to control a problem or situation
- It took me a while to get a grip on the new software.
- The government must get a grip on rising prices.
- Once she got a grip on the basics, the rest was easy.
get a grip on yourself
1make yourself calm and controlled
to tell yourself (or someone) to stop being very emotional or silly and to behave more calmly and sensibly
- Get a grip on yourself and stop panicking.
- She took a deep breath to get a grip on herself before speaking.
- You have to get a grip on yourself if you want people to listen.
get to grips with [something]
1start to handle effectively
to begin to understand or deal with something difficult in an effective way
- I’m still getting to grips with the new software.
- Students need time to get to grips with the course content.
- The team is finally getting to grips with the new system.
have a grip on [something]
1have understanding or control
to understand something well or to control a situation well
- She really has a grip on the company’s finances.
- I don’t feel like I have a grip on this topic yet.
- The coach seems to have a firm grip on the team’s problems.
in the grip of [something]
1strongly affected or controlled by
to be strongly controlled or affected by something bad or powerful, like fear, cold, or a crisis
- The country is in the grip of an economic crisis.
- She was in the grip of a terrible fear.
- The city was in the grip of a heatwave.
keep a tight grip on [something]
1maintain very strong control
to continue to control something very strongly, or to hold something very firmly
- The government keeps a tight grip on the media.
- Keep a tight grip on your bag in crowded places.
- She kept a tight grip on the project budget.
loosen your grip (on [something])
1reduce firmness or control
to hold something less tightly, or to control something less strictly
- He loosened his grip on the rope to relax his hands.
- The government is loosening its grip on the economy.
- She slowly loosened her grip on the situation and delegated more.
lose your grip
1lose control or stability
to stop being able to control things well, or to seem to be losing clear or normal thinking
- Some investors think the company’s leadership is losing its grip.
- He worried that his grandfather was starting to lose his grip.
- After the scandal, she seemed to lose her grip on the team.
lose your grip on reality
1lose contact with reality
to seem to stop understanding what is real or sensible, often because of stress or mental problems
- After months of isolation, he felt he was losing his grip on reality.
- Some people thought the leader had lost his grip on reality.
- The film shows a man slowly losing his grip on reality.
slip from your grip
1escape from hold or control
to move out of your hand after you were holding it, or to stop being under your control
- The ball slipped from his grip and rolled away.
- The situation slowly slipped from their grip.
- The knife almost slipped from her grip when it got wet.
take a firm grip (on [something])
1begin holding or controlling firmly
to start to hold something very tightly, or to begin to control something strongly
- Take a firm grip on the rope before you climb.
- The new manager took a firm grip on the department.
- He took a firm grip of the handle and pulled.
tighten your grip (on [something])
1increase firmness or control
to hold something more firmly, or to control something more strictly
- He tightened his grip on her hand.
- The company tightened its grip on costs.
- The government is tightening its grip on the media.
with a death grip
1holding something extremely tightly
holding something so tightly that it is hard to remove it from your hand
- He held the railing with a death grip.
- The child clung to her mother’s hand with a death grip.
- She kept a death grip on her phone the whole time.