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clutch - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'clutch' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Clutch [ n.]
- A gripe or clinching with, or as with, the fingers or claws; seizure; grasp.
- The hands, claws, or talons, in the act of grasping firmly; -- often figuratively, for power, rapacity, or cruelty; as, to fall into the clutches of an adversary.
- A device which is used for coupling shafting, etc., so as to transmit motion, and which may be disengaged at pleasure.
- Any device for gripping an object, as at the end of a chain or tackle.
- The nest complement of eggs of a bird.
- To seize, clasp, or gripe with the hand, hands, or claws; -- often figuratively; as, to clutch power.
- To close tightly; to clinch.
2 . Clutch [ v. i.]
- To reach (at something) as if to grasp; to catch or snatch; -- often followed by at.

Meaning of 'clutch' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . clutch [ n]
Meaning (1):
- the act of grasping
Example in sentence:
  • he has a strong grip for an old man;
  • he released his clasp on my arm;
  • she kept a firm hold on the railing
Meaning (2):
- a tense critical situation
Example in sentence:
  • he is a good man in the clutch
Meaning (3):
- a pedal or lever that engages or disengages a rotating shaft and a driving mechanism
Example in sentence:
  • he smoothely released the clutch with one foot and stepped on the gas with the other
Meaning (4):
- a coupling that connects or disconnects driving and driven parts of a driving mechanism
Example in sentence:
  • this year's model has an improved clutch
5 . clutch [ v]
Meaning (5):
- take hold of; grab
Example in sentence:
  • Birds of prey often seize small mammals;
  • She clutched her purse;
  • The mother seized her child by the arm;
  • The sales clerk quickly seized the money on the counter
Meaning (6):
- affect
Example in sentence:
  • Fear seized the prisoners;
  • He was seized with a dreadful disease;
  • The patient was seized with unbearable pains
Meaning (7):
- hold firmly, usually with one's hands
Example in sentence:
  • She clutched my arm when she got scared

Nearby Words:

club club-rush club-shaped clubbable clubbed clubber clubbing clubbish clubbist clubfist

See 'clutch' also in:

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