grabber

grab ¹

 (grăb)

v. grabbed, grab·bing, grabs

v.tr.

1. To take or grasp suddenly: grabbed the letter from me.

2. To capture or restrain; arrest.

3. To obtain or appropriate unscrupulously or forcibly: grab public funds; grab power.

4. To take hurriedly: grabbed my coat and hat and left.

5. Slang To capture the attention of: a plot that grabs the reader.

v.intr.

To make a grasping or snatching motion: We grabbed for the life raft.

n.

1.

a. A sudden attempt to grasp or hold something: made a grab for the railing.

b. A sudden, often unscrupulous taking control or ownership of something: "The imminence of death is reflected in every last power-stroke and grab of the great money bosses" (Dylan Thomas).

2. A mechanical device for gripping an object.

adj.

Relating or being an object or device that is grabbed or gripped for support or balance: installed a grab bar in the shower.

Idiom:

up for grabs Slang

Available for anyone to take or win: "The reputation of the ... king is still up for grabs" (William Zinsser).

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[Obsolete Dutch or Low German grabben, from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German; see ghrebh- in Indo-European roots.]

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grab′ba·ble adj.

grab′ber n.

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grab ²

 (grăb)

n.

A usually two-masted, sharp-prowed coastal vessel of the Indian Ocean.

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[Arabic ġurāb, raven, swift galley; see ġrb in Semitic roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

grabber - an unpleasant person who grabs inconsiderately disagreeable person, unpleasant person - a person who is not pleasant or agreeable

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.