clutch
verbVerb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they clutch | |
| he / she / it clutches | |
| past simple clutched | |
| past participle clutched | |
| -ing form clutching |
- [transitive, intransitive]
to hold somebody/something tightly 紧握；抱紧；抓紧 - clutch somebody/something (+ adv./prep.)
He clutched the child to him. 他紧紧地抱住小孩。 She stood there, the flowers still clutched in her hand. 她站在那里，手里仍然紧握着花束。 - + adv./prep.
I clutched on to the chair for support. 我紧紧抓住椅子撑着身体。
Synonyms holdhold 拿住 - hold on
- cling
- clutch
- grip
- grasp
- clasp
- hang on
- hold to have somebody/something in your hand or arms:
She was holding a large box. 她提着一只大箱子。 I held the baby gently in my arms. 我把婴儿轻轻地抱在怀里。
- hold on (to somebody/something) to continue to hold somebody/something; to put your hand on somebody/something and not take your hand away:
Hold on and don’t let go until I say so. 握紧，我让你松手时才松开。
- cling to hold on to somebody/something tightly, especially with your whole body:
Survivors clung to pieces of floating debris. 生还者紧紧抱住漂浮在水面上的残骸。
- clutch to hold somebody/something tightly, especially in your hand; to take hold of something suddenly:
She stood there, the flowers still clutched in her hand. 她站在那里，手里仍然紧握着花束。 He felt himself slipping and clutched at a branch. 他感到自己滑了一下，便一把抓住一根树枝。
- grip to hold on to something very tightly with your hand:
Grip the rope as tightly as you can. 尽可能紧紧抓住绳子。
- grasp to take a strong hold of somebody/something:
He grasped my hand and shook it warmly. 他热情地抓着我的手握了起来。
- clasp (formal
) to hold somebody/something tightly in your hand or in your arms: 指紧握、攥紧、抱紧： They clasped hands (= held each other’s hands). 他们相互紧握着对方的手。 She clasped the children in her arms. 她把孩子紧紧地搂在怀里。
- hang on (to something) to hold on to something very tightly, especially in order to support yourself or stop yourself from falling:
Hang on tight. We’re off! 抓紧，我们出发了！
- to hold/clutch/grip/clasp something in your hand/hands
- to hold/clutch/clasp somebody/something in your arms
- to hold/clutch/grip/grasp/clasp/hang on to something
- to hold/cling/hang on
- to hold/clutch/clasp somebody/something to you
- to hold/hold on to/cling to/clutch/grip/grasp/clasp/hang on to somebody/something tightly
- to hold/hold on to/cling to/clutch/grip/grasp/clasp somebody/something firmly
- to hold/hold on to/clutch/grip/clasp/hang on to somebody/something tight
Extra ExamplesShe clutched her handbag tightly in one hand. 她一只手紧紧抓住手提包。 She clutched the letter to her chest. 她把信紧紧抓在胸前。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- firmly
- tightly
- desperately
- …
- at
- clutch something in your hand
- clutch something to your chest
- clutch somebody/something (+ adv./prep.)
- [transitive, intransitive]
to take hold of something suddenly, because you are afraid or in pain （因害怕或痛苦）突然抓住 Synonyms holdhold 拿住 - hold on
- cling
- clutch
- grip
- grasp
- clasp
- hang on
- hold to have somebody/something in your hand or arms:
She was holding a large box. 她提着一只大箱子。 I held the baby gently in my arms. 我把婴儿轻轻地抱在怀里。
- hold on (to somebody/something) to continue to hold somebody/something; to put your hand on somebody/something and not take your hand away:
Hold on and don’t let go until I say so. 握紧，我让你松手时才松开。
- cling to hold on to somebody/something tightly, especially with your whole body:
Survivors clung to pieces of floating debris. 生还者紧紧抱住漂浮在水面上的残骸。
- clutch to hold somebody/something tightly, especially in your hand; to take hold of something suddenly:
She stood there, the flowers still clutched in her hand. 她站在那里，手里仍然紧握着花束。 He felt himself slipping and clutched at a branch. 他感到自己滑了一下，便一把抓住一根树枝。
- grip to hold on to something very tightly with your hand:
Grip the rope as tightly as you can. 尽可能紧紧抓住绳子。
- grasp to take a strong hold of somebody/something:
He grasped my hand and shook it warmly. 他热情地抓着我的手握了起来。
- clasp (formal
) to hold somebody/something tightly in your hand or in your arms: 指紧握、攥紧、抱紧： They clasped hands (= held each other’s hands). 他们相互紧握着对方的手。 She clasped the children in her arms. 她把孩子紧紧地搂在怀里。
- hang on (to something) to hold on to something very tightly, especially in order to support yourself or stop yourself from falling:
Hang on tight. We’re off! 抓紧，我们出发了！
- to hold/clutch/grip/clasp something in your hand/hands
- to hold/clutch/clasp somebody/something in your arms
- to hold/clutch/grip/grasp/clasp/hang on to something
- to hold/cling/hang on
- to hold/clutch/clasp somebody/something to you
- to hold/hold on to/cling to/clutch/grip/grasp/clasp/hang on to somebody/something tightly
- to hold/hold on to/cling to/clutch/grip/grasp/clasp somebody/something firmly
- to hold/hold on to/clutch/grip/clasp/hang on to somebody/something tight
Extra ExamplesHe fell back, clutching his chest in agony. 他向后倒去，痛苦地抓着胸口。 Her hands clutched the railing. 她的双手抓住栏杆。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- firmly
- tightly
- desperately
- …
- at
- clutch something in your hand
- clutch something to your chest
Word Originverb Middle English (in the sense ‘bend, crook’): variant of obsolete clitch ‘close the hand’, from Old English clyccan ‘crook, clench’, of Germanic origin.
Idioms
clutch/grasp at straws
to try all possible means to find a solution or some hope in a difficult or unpleasant situation, even though this seems very unlikely （在危难中）抓救命稻草，不放过任何微小的机会 I know I’m just clutching at straws here, but is it possible that the doctors are wrong? 我知道我只是在抓救命稻草，但医生有可能是错的吗？
