grab

Pronunciation

• IPA ^(key): /ɡræb/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

Plain form grab

Third-person singular grabs

Past tense grabbed

Past participle grabbed

Present participle grabbing

1. (transitive & intransitive) If you grab something, you quickly reach out and take it in your hand.

   A strong hand grabbed her arm and pulled her backward.

   I stood up quickly and grabbed my purse from the back of the chair.

   He grabbed a handful of nuts from the bowl.

2. (transitive) If something grabs the headlines, it suddenly becomes a major news story.

   Scientists at the school grabbed headlines last week with their discovery of a new kind of fat.

Synonyms

• take
• remove
• steal

Noun

Singular grab

Plural grabs

1. (countable) If you make a grab for something, you try to get it.

   I made a grab for his hand and the knife flew out the door.

   With the weak government, observers believe that the military might make a grab for power.