What does "grab" mean?
A sudden snatch at something.
Grab
/ɡɹæb/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A sudden snatch at something.
- Grammar: grab is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: snatch, catch, clutch, grasp.
- Useful contrasts: bobbles, bore, comprehensive.
- Usage evidence: Want to grab a drink on the way home?
How to use "grab"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "grab" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "grab" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "grab" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "grab" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "grab" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "snatch" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "grab", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A sudden snatch at something. countable
"The ball popped in and popped out, and when he made a grab for it on the ground he kicked it with his foot."
- 2 A two- or three-masted vessel used on the Malabar coast.
- 3 A taxi ride booked through the Grab app. Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, informal
"I will take a Grab back home. ("I will book a taxi ride from Grab to return home.")"
- 4 the act of catching an object with the hands wordnet
- 5 An acquisition by violent or unjust means. countable
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 a mechanical device for gripping an object wordnet
- 7 A mechanical device that grabs or clutches. countable
"Almost all modern cranes are electrically operated and a quick-acting type of 30 cwt. capacity is suitable for general cargo, but not powerful enough to operate grabs for discharge of bulk cargoes."
- 8 A mechanical device that grabs or clutches.; A device for withdrawing drills, etc., from artesian and other wells that are drilled, bored, or driven. countable, uncountable
- 9 A sound bite. countable
"For example, one radio bulletin may feature one central issue, like a state election, and will focus on that issue. The bulletin might contain only a few voice wraps but many grabs, leaving the focus firmly on the newsreader."
- 10 That which is seized. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 11 The rescue of a person from a burning structure. countable, slang, uncountable
"There have been many rescues made as a result of an aggressive search team who went in without a hoseline to make the grab."
- 12 A simple card game. uncountable
Verb
- 1 To grip suddenly; to seize; to clutch. transitive
"I grabbed her hand to pull her back from the cliff edge."
- 2 capture the attention or imagination of wordnet
- 3 To make a sudden grasping or clutching motion (at something). intransitive
"The suspect suddenly broke free and grabbed at the policeman's gun."
- 4 take or grasp suddenly wordnet
- 5 To restrain someone; to arrest.
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of wordnet
- 7 To grip the attention of; to enthrall or interest. transitive
"How does that idea grab you?"
- 8 make a grasping or snatching motion with the hand wordnet
- 9 To quickly collect, retrieve, or take. informal
"Come in and grab a seat [i.e. sit down]."
- 10 get hold of or seize quickly and easily wordnet
- 11 To consume something quickly. informal
"We'll just grab a sandwich and then we'll be on our way."
- 12 obtain illegally or unscrupulously wordnet
- 13 To take the opportunity of.
"Both teams wasted good opportunities to score but it was the London side who did grab what proved to be the decisive third when the unmarked Vaz Te, a January signing from Barnsley, drilled the ball into the net from 12 yards."
Antonyms
Example
"Want to grab a drink on the way home?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "grab"?
Common synonyms include: snatch, catch, clutch, grasp, seize, abduct.
How do you use "grab" in a sentence?
Want to grab a drink on the way home?
How do you pronounce "grab"?
Pronounced /ɡɹæb/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle Dutch grabben or Middle Low German grabben (“to grasp, grab, seize, snatch”), from Old Saxon gravan, from Proto-West Germanic *grabbōn, a secondary form of Proto-Germanic *grabōną (“to gather, rake”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ- (“to gather, rake, grab, seize”). Related to archaic German grappen (“to grab”), Danish grabbe (“to grab”), Swedish grabba (“to grab”), Old Norse grápa (“to seize, appropriate”), Middle English grappen (“to feel, grope, grasp, clutch”), Old English ġegræppian (“to seize”). Related also to Sanskrit गृह्णाति (gṛhṇā́ti), गृभ्णाति (gṛbhṇā́ti, “he seizes”), Avestan 𐬔𐬭𐬀𐬠 (grab, “to seize”)), Macedonian грабне (grabne, “to snatch”), Bulgarian грабя (grabja, “to rob, to grab”).
Etymology 2
From Arabic غُرَاب (ḡurāb) and Hindi ghurb?: crow, raven, a kind of Arab ship.
Etymology 3
From Grab, a Singaporean company which provides taxi rides and food deliveries, and provides a system of electronic payments; the company name is from the word grab.