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clutch

clutch

3 3.9
An act of holding something tightly
  • noun
  • /klʌtʃ/
translation icon : agarre
  • Did you truly believe 500 years of Rome could so easily be delivered into the clutches of a mob?
  • escape the clutches
  • free from the clutches
  • feel a painful clutch

Examples

  • ...and leave him in the clutches of that woman, like a coward.

  • The little girl held her stuffed animal in a tight clutch as she walked through the dark room.

  • When I hear violin music, I feel a painful clutch at my heart.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Robert escaped their clutches and reported back to me.

  • She escaped your evil clutches.

  • You escaped the clutches of Gorlacon, but I must ask you to return with us into the lion's den.

  • The widow leapt back in fright and dropped her keys and purse in favor of an instinctive clutch at her heart.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Could this passivity be the very thing keeping her from seeing her real situation and impeding her ability to actually escape the troll's clutches?

    Academic text (2016)
  • The leaders of Zartha flee their planet... ...in order to escape the clutches of the evil Kylothian, Serleena.

  • In a moment of panic, he felt a sudden clutch of fear in his chest.

Synonyms

hold
vsclutch
294 1.0

A firm grip on something

is the same action expressed by a more general common term
ahold
vsclutch
  • Informal
141 8.2

A firm grip on something or a quick way to reach someone

is the same result but does not require that it begins suddenly
grip
vsclutch
116 1.0

A firm hold on something so it does not slip

is the same action but stresses the greater force or strength used
grab
vsclutch
59 1.0

A quick action of taking something with your hand

is the same action but lacks the quick and sudden emphasis
grasp
vsclutch
50 1.1

A tight hold with the hand or arm on something

is the same action but the term is slightly different in tone
squeezing
vsclutch
4 2.0

Holding and pressing something firmly with your hand

is the same action but focuses on tight contact without strong pressure
snatch
vsclutch
3 4.2

A quick act of taking something with the hand

is the same action but does not always include rapid force or speed
clasp
vsclutch
3 1.9

A tight hold with the hands or arms

is the same action but often implies a closer embrace instead of simple contact
taking hold
vsclutch
3 4.1

A firm grip with the hands or arms that keeps something from moving

is the same idea but without implying how the action starts
grasping
vsclutch
1 2.7

To hold something firmly with the hand or another body part

is the same action but focuses on the process of taking and keeping
seizing
vsclutch
4.0

A tight hold on something using hands or arms

is the same action but does not always emphasize the initial capture

Compounds

clutch pedal
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A pedal in a car you press to disconnect the engine so you can change gears

1 4.1

A small handbag without straps that you carry in your hand for formal occasions

cone clutch
  • Specialized
8.4

A machine part with cone-shaped surfaces that use rubbing to let power pass between two shafts

cone friction clutch
  • Specialized
7.7

A clutch with cone shaped friction surfaces that connects two rotating shafts

disk clutch
  • Specialized
6.7

A device in which flat disks press together to send power between moving parts

friction clutch
  • Specialized
7.2

A device that uses rubbing between two surfaces to transfer power when changing gears

slip clutch
  • Specialized
7.5

A device that lets a machine part move when too much force would damage the machine

slip friction clutch
  • Specialized
7.2

A device that lets moving parts slide when twisting force is too high to protect machines

How Tightly

clutch
3 3.9
grab
59 1.0
contact
371 1.0

Surface Forms

clutch singular
clutches plural

Etymology

Clutch as a noun meaning an act of grasping is the result of the verb idea 'to take a tight hold'. So a 'clutch' can mean a quick, strong grab or hold.