clutched

verb

past tense of clutch
as in clenched
to have or keep in one's hands he clutched the eggs carefully so he wouldn't drop them

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clutched For decades, sweaty hands clutched the ridged yellow wood on test day. — ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026 Dian Weys’ drama Vultures clutched top honors at HollyShorts Sunday evening, winning the prestigious festival’s Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 23 Aug. 2026 Throughout his wanderings, the uxorious Odysseus clings to a little doll figure, intended to represent his wife (like the spinning top clutched by Leonardo DiCaprio in 'Inception'); the real woman is barely more interesting. — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 28 July 2026 Kirk’s widow, Erika, clutched a tissue and watched intently as a person said to be Robinson ran across the roof. — Hannah Schoenbaum, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2026 Allowance clutched in hot hands, the neighborhood kids come together to choose among ice pops, Italian ice, and all kinds of colorful ice cream treats. — Holly Lebowitz Rossi, Parents, 2 July 2026 Women clutched photographs of sons and brothers killed in the war — many of them fighting for Hezbollah — while others held photographs of Nasrallah or Iran’s Khamenei. — Fadi Tawil, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026 Eitan, 3, clutched a dinosaur while his older brother, Abel, 6, held a bright orange fox clad in a rainbow long-sleeve shirt. — Miami Herald, 25 June 2026 And there Salah was, standing barefoot on a small podium, the Player of the Game trophy clutched between his hands. — Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 22 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clutched
  1. clenched
  2. gripped
  3. held
  4. grabbed
Verb
  • As the recording played, with Davis recounting seeing the ambulance that was carrying the rapper, Shakur’s sister clenched her left hand against her mouth.
    — Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Clad in the world champion’s rainbows, Evenepoel clenched both his fists, beamed a toothy grin, and hugged his soigneur.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of clenched
Verb
  • The case has gripped television and online trial watchers after several witnesses testified that Clancy was a good and devoted mother for years before her mental health deteriorated after giving birth to her third child.
    — Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • More than a month after news of the stabbings in the small college town gripped the nation, Kohberger, then a PhD student of criminology at nearby Washington State University, was arrested in his home state of Pennsylvania.
    — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of gripped
Verb
  • The rapper, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, has been held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center since he was arrested in September 2024.
    — Daniel S. Levine, People.com, 6 Aug. 2025
  • That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.
    — Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 6 Aug. 2025
Definition of held
Verb
  • Clark then went back to his golf bag, grabbed another iron, and placed it behind the ball.
    — Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The one that has grabbed most of the headlines is its pull back from LIV.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of grabbed

Browse Nearby Words

clutch bags
clutched
clutches
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Cite this Entry

“Clutched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clutched. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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