CLASPED Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

clasped

verb

past tense of clasp

as in hugged

to put one's arms around and press tightly clasped his long-lost sister and cried without restraint

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in held

to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms clasped a crayon and began drawing

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of clasped Then the duo begins, and everyone leans forward, rapt, hands clasped loosely in front of them, mouthing every word. — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 28 Sep. 2026 Davis stood with his lawyer as the verdict was read, then sat with his hands clasped on the table. — Jon Haworth, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026 In a 1987 article for the New York Times, Albuquerque jewelry salesman Manny Goodman recalls seeing Native Americans wearing bandanas clasped with silver conches as early as the 1930s. — Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 31 Aug. 2026 The new mothers clasped their babies close as a pack of teenagers ran through the park. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026 In 1975, as Cold War tensions thawed, an American commander and his Soviet counterpart clasped hands in space after their spacecraft docked. — Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026 This gadget from the comics is typically depicted as a metal collar clasped around a mutant’s neck. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 31 July 2026 Unlike Hernandez, all of his digits remained intact, clasped together on the table. — Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 22 July 2026 But here was Bobby, sitting at Jackie’s bedside, perhaps looking at the ground, one wrist clasped in his hand. — Literary Hub, 17 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for clasped

Verb

When Ramirez’s daughter returned to her seat after speaking, the same relative hugged and kissed her.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
The property itself was first built by the Medici family and sits in the Val d’Orcia, hugged by endless hills dotted by cypresses and quaint villages.

— CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of hugged

Verb

The rapper, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, has been held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center since he was arrested in September 2024.

— Daniel S. Levine, People.com, 6 Aug. 2025
That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.

— Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 6 Aug. 2025

Definition of held

Verb

For three years, as Israeli bombs made ruins of the ground, some of the trees and vines had clung to life in the spongy layer of clay below.

— Ghada Abdulfattah, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Oct. 2026
The 90-year-old Abbas has clung to power since his own mandate expired in 2009, while Hamas continues to control parts of Gaza three years into a brutal war with Israel.

— Abby Sewell, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of clung

Verb

So all three of your adaptations have grasped quite the attention before even coming out.

— Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026
When visiting Ground Zero, Surdo said he was struck by the scale and the enormity of the destruction and the sulfurish smell, which were two things that couldn’t be grasped by seeing the site on television.

— Andis Robeznieks, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of grasped

Verb

Paris — Students fought running battles with police and several schools were ablaze Friday as a new day of violence gripped France with no end in sight to protests that have rocked the country.

— Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Secondly, as markets remain gripped by concerns around long-term public debt and fiscal sustainability globally, Gower acknowledged that higher bond yields remain a challenge for non-yielding assets like gold.

— Hugh Leask, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of gripped

Verb

The casing is consistent with the same caliber of weapon that Jones had in his possession when police took him into custody, a Fort Worth Police Department homicide unit detective wrote in an arrest warrant affidavit.

— Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026
This latest group of founders stands on the shoulders of giants from the noughties like Spotify, Klarna, and Skype, who themselves took inspiration from the postwar design empires of IKEA, H&M and Tetra Pak (modernizer of the milk carton).

— Jan Larsson, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of took

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clasp

clasped

clasping

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“Clasped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clasped. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of clasped

verb

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