1Grasp or seize suddenly and roughly.

1. 1.1grab at/forno object Make a sudden snatch at.
   he grabbed at the handle, missed, and nearly fell

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Do NOT chase your chickens around grabbing at their tails or wings.
   • What's going through your mind when we're all there screaming, carrying on, grabbing at you, really enjoying ourselves.
   • As he sees he coming toward him he grabs for the gun.
   • Then he started grabbing at the door handle and pulled open the door and as it crashed back broke the pane of glass with his fist.
   • Both of its double doors are closed, and she grabs at the brass knobs to pull them wide open.
   • They're grabbing at something that they think is going to motivate people to get out of their depression and talk about it.
   • It didn't really hurt - it felt like a mosquito bite, actually - but he yelped as he twisted around, grabbing at it with both hands.
   • He grabs at the clutching hand, but he won't let go of the vital drug.
   • It is another example of how the media grabs at anything especially when pushed by special interests groups.
   • The sudden jerking of the truck caused Blair to grab at his injured side.
   • She grabs for a silk bathrobe just as Simon enters the room.
   • Driving down Palm Avenue, Joelle swerves wildly left and right as Delilah grabs at her arms.
   • He grabs at Alice's dress, trying to pull her, and is now the center of attention.
   • Letting out a moan, he grabs at the open bottle of pills, some of which spill onto the carpet.
   • He brushes past Tom, but the younger man suddenly grabs at his sleeve.
   • She grabs at passers-by and points to the music box, her face desperate.
   • He slides out of the booth and Sophie grabs at his arm to pull him back for a goodbye kiss.
   • The grin disappears, and he grabs at the bottle, his eyes wide with disbelief.
   • Meg grabs at his hand as he tries to tuck it under his armpit.
2. 1.2informal Obtain or get (something) quickly or opportunistically, sometimes unscrupulously.
   I'll grab another drink while there's still time

   someone's grabbed my seat

   Example sentencesExamples

   • She grabs three shot glasses and we all walk into the living room.
   • I excused myself quickly, grabbing a muesli bar on the way out of the kitchen and I shut myself in what was to become my bedroom.
   • We first stopped off at my house so i could quickly get changed and grab some money.
   • The researchers concluded that planning weekly meals and related grocery shopping will help adults resist the fast-meal decisions that lead to grabbing a quick bite.
   • Quickly grabbing a bagel, she ran outside to wait for her best friend to pick her up and take her to school.
   • I grabbed a plate full of sausages and sat down at a table.
   • We headed over to the snack bar to return my bowling shoes and grab lunch before his mother arrived to pick us up.
   • I quickly grab a seat with Jake and Emily at the rear of the room.
   • I can grab whatever you want from the catering truck, and we can eat in here.

   Synonyms

   obtain, acquire, come by, carry off, come to have, get, receive, gain, earn, win, come into, come in for, take possession of, take receipt of, be given
3. 1.3no object (of a brake on a vehicle) grip the wheel harshly or jerkily.
   the brakes grabbed very badly

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Studies have shown that disc brakes grab faster and hold longer than drum brakes.

2informal usually with negative or in questions Attract the attention of; make an impression on.

1in singular A quick sudden clutch or attempt to seize.

1. 1.1 An act of obtaining something opportunistically or unscrupulously.
   they used the law to effect a land grab

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The world sees our inconsistency, and criticizes our policies as a naked, unprincipled grab for power.
   • The final fight against the power grab will have to be in court.
   • The foundation of the democracy is crumbling from the weight of the Court's unprecedented grab for power.
   • The DIY Arts Show hopes to give arts practitioners a space to speak about their projects in more than a 3 minute sound grab.
   • The movie Chinatown is a fictionalized account of that land and water grab.
   • Still, some fears about China's grab for oil reserves are at odds with experts' view of how global oil markets work.
   • This corporate grab is nothing but profiteering dressed up in a new suit.
   • What he failed to explain was the damage that such a short-term corporate grab would do to the public good.
   • Re-writing the rules of warfare as necessary to fight this unique threat can then be seen as an extension of that power grab.
   • The history of Charles Taylor's grab for the presidency is one full of controversy and question.
   • There has been the privatisation of whole estates and a grab for land which is earmarked purely for luxury development.
   • The new rates grab may yet sharpen ratepayer focus on the performance of the council even more.
   • We consent to taxes that remove half of our earnings, plus GST and property taxes, welcome taxes and all sorts of government cash grabs.
   • The family on my husband's side fled Cuba as Castro made his power grab.
   • Vermonter Howard Dean's grab for the redneck vote has won him just the kind of support he doesn't want: white supremacists.
   • So we can expect a big corporate grab of our public works, while our tax dollars go to buy high-tech ways to kill people in far away places.
   • Hubbard and Hucker's rates grab is in fact a family budget buster, as homeowners will struggle to pay the extra money to pay for the spending increases.
   • This rates grab will come from those property owners with higher values in wards like Eastern Bays and Hobson, regardless of their ability to pay.
   • Palestinians call it a grab for land they want for an independent state.
   • Turkish leaders object to any Kurdish grab of Kirkuk, in the country's second biggest oil region and considered by Iraqi Kurds as part of their heartland.
2. 1.2Computing usually with modifier A frame of video or television footage, digitized and stored as a still image in a computer memory for subsequent display, printing, or editing.
   a screen grab from Wednesday's program

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Screen grabs and extensive appendices illustrate these tutorials which are clearly presented, if a little poorly signposted.
   • One exception could be the ability to take screen grabs from live video and ship them immediately via e-mail.
   • They had used video grabs taken 2km into the march every three minutes throughout the five hour event.
   • Tom has a screen grab of the document and notes on the experience.
   • The exhibit features a mélange of mediums, including drawings, photocopied photographs and video frame grabs.

2A mechanical device for clutching, lifting, and moving things, especially materials in bulk.

1. 2.1as modifier Denoting a bar or strap for people to hold on to for support or in a moving vehicle.
   for elderly people, grab rails at strategic places are likely to prevent accidents

   Example sentencesExamples

   • How do I add grab bars to my tile shower without destroying the entire wall in the shower?
   • Wall-mounted units can break away when subjected to the patient's weight unless they are reinforced with grab bars.
   • If the cylinder is mounted too far below the grab bar, or too far from the toilet, reaching it can be difficult, even hazardous.
   • With very few exceptions, all trains of this type have bench seating and large numbers of grab handles.
   • There is no retractable leather grab handle to steady a passenger's nerves.
   • She is stronger, able to stand using a grab rail, and her writing is all but fully restored.
   • A fall in a shower or bath without a suction fixed rubber mat or grab bars is dangerous.
   • I breathe a secret sigh of relief and recover my composure in the back seat, and release my grip on the grab handle.
   • There are ample and well-placed grab handles for front and rear passengers.
   • Elsewhere removal of tripping hazards, installing grab bars and living on a single floor all help.
   • On rough terrain, no fewer than eight grab handles are available to help passengers steady themselves.
   • Access to the cab is improved with a wider step and larger grab handles.
   • A person who may desire a vertical grab bar can screw it in place and be confident that the bar is secure.