1
as in hugging
to put one's arms around and press tightly
clasped his long-lost sister and cried without restraint
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in holding
to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms
clasped a crayon and began drawing
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clasping
Flex your left knee at a 90-degree angle and place the rope around the mid-foot, clasping the rope with the right hand.
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Gerard Hartmann, Outside, 3 Nov. 2025
Next page, clasping hands with Schweitzer in her satin, white wedding dress with a rose bouquet.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025
After arriving on the scene, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey ran toward the sanctuary and was later seen clasping his hands outside on the church steps.
—Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
Parents, some in tears, walked from the school, clasping their kids by the hands or carrying them out on their shoulders.
—Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2025
The two took a few moments to pose on the red – well, beige – carpet together, sharing an embrace, clasping hands and admiring each other's outfits (Johnson was in Gucci).
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025
The Everybody's Live with John Mulaney host, 42, sits on the bed, wearing a surgical mask and clasping Munn's hands in his.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Olea stood in the court room Thursday in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs, clasping his own hands.
—Ana Claudia Chacin, Miami Herald, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clasping
Verb
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The custom column Ashi Studio dress, which took more than 300 hours to create, featured a hip-hugging silhouette and strappy neckline with eight different strands of crystals that draped over her shoulders.—
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In January 2025, Lane posted a photo on Instagram of himself hugging Layla and wishing her a happy birthday.—
Verb
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Jeff Bezos holding the device high.—
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This loss had to be especially tough for the Jayhawks, considering a controversial holding call on KU changed the momentum of the game.—
Verb
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But Taylor, who studies how the internet interacts with culture, says the rise of vagueposting coincides with a public discontent with just how grasping social media has become.—
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After signing with the Broncos in 2025, he’s just been focused on grasping a newfound status as a captain.—
Verb
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Rather, Metropolitan evokes the youthful experience of being home, avoiding family, and clinging to friends during the holiday break, when responsibility remains over the horizon and your whole life is still ahead of you.—
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For pesky food bits clinging to the bottom of your pan, use coarse-ground salt to buff them off gently.—
Verb
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The simple and elegant dress was made to have a fluid silhouette that skimmed her body rather than tightly gripping it, letting the neckline do most of the talking.—
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In one of the larger fraud cases gripping the Land of 10,000 Lakes, the Feeding Our Future scheme cost taxpayers nearly $250 million, after the program's director approved nonexistent meal services going to poor people.—
Verb
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But in 1999, just months after Luke was born, Andrea attempted suicide by taking an overdose of medication prescribed for her father, who was ill.—
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Someone had ordered pizza to the home, and a delivery driver spent some time ringing the doorbell before returning to his car, taking the pies with him.—
Cite this Entry
“Clasping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clasping. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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