grab
verb/ɡræb/
/ɡræb/
Verb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they grab | /ɡræb/ /ɡræb/ |
| he / she / it grabs | /ɡræbz/ /ɡræbz/ |
| past simple grabbed | /ɡræbd/ /ɡræbd/ |
| past participle grabbed | /ɡræbd/ /ɡræbd/ |
| -ing form grabbing | /ˈɡræbɪŋ/ /ˈɡræbɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] to take or hold somebody/something with your hand suddenly or roughly synonym seize
- grab somebody/something She grabbed his arm as he got up to leave.
- She grabbed the child's hand and ran.
- He grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go.
- Someone grabbed me from behind.
- grab somebody/something by something He grabbed Tom by the collar and dragged him outside.
- grab something from somebody/something Jim grabbed a cake from the plate.
- Don't grab—there's plenty for everyone.
Extra Examples- He grabbed hold of a handrail to save himself from falling.
- Somebody tried to grab her handbag from her.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- suddenly
- quickly
- try to
- manage to
- at
- by
- from
- …
- grab hold of something
- [intransitive] to try to take hold of something
- grab at something She grabbed at the branch, missed and fell.
- I grabbed at his arm as he ran past.
- grab for something Kate grabbed for the robber's gun.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- suddenly
- quickly
- try to
- manage to
- at
- by
- from
- …
- grab hold of something
- [transitive, intransitive] to take advantage of an opportunity to do or have something synonym seize
- grab something This was my big chance and I grabbed it with both hands.
- grab at something He'll grab at any excuse to avoid doing the dishes.
- He'll grab at any excuse to avoid hard work.
- [transitive] grab something to have or take something quickly, especially because you are in a hurry
- Let's grab a sandwich before we go.
- I'll grab a bite to eat in town.
- Grab a cab and get over here.
- I managed to grab a couple of hours' sleep on the plane.
- Grab a seat, I won't keep you a moment.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- suddenly
- quickly
- try to
- manage to
- at
- by
- from
- …
- grab hold of something
- [transitive] grab something to take something for yourself, especially in a selfish or greedy way
- By the time we arrived, someone had grabbed all the good seats.
- She's always trying to grab the limelight.
- [transitive] grab somebody/something to get somebody’s attention
- I'll see if I can grab the waitress and get the bill.
- Glasgow’s drugs problem has grabbed the headlines tonight (= been published as an important story in the newspapers).
- The play grabs the audience’s attention from the very start.
- [transitive] grab something to take a picture from a television or video film, or from a computer screen, and store it as an image on a computer
- You can use this keyboard shortcut to grab part of the screen.
More Like This Consonant-doubling verbsConsonant-doubling verbs
Word Originlate 16th cent.: from Middle Low German and Middle Dutch grabben; perhaps related to grip, gripe, and grope.
Idioms
See grab in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryhow does… grab you?
- (informal) used to ask somebody whether they are interested in something or in doing something
- How does the idea of a trip to Rome grab you?
Check pronunciation:
grab