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Meaning of clutch in English

  1. Pronunciation

    /klətʃ/

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  1. Verb

    clutch

    Etymology

    Middle English (in the sense ‘bend, crook’): variant of obsolete clitch ‘close the hand’, from Old Englishclyccan ‘crook, clench’, of Germanic origin

    Definitions

    1. take hold of

    Examples

    • « grab »
    • « The salesclerk quickly seized the money on the counter »
    • « She clutched her purse »
    • « The mother seized her child by the arm »
    • « Birds of prey often seize small mammals »
  2. 2. hold firmly, usually with one's hands

    Examples

    • « She clutched my arm when she got scared »
  3. 3. affect

    Examples

    • « Fear seized the prisoners »
    • « The patient was seized with unberable pains »
    • « He was seized with a dreadful disease »
  4. Noun

    clutch

    Etymology

    early 18th century: probably a southern variant of northern English dialect cletch, related to Middle Englishcleck ‘to hatch’, from Old Norse klekja

    Definitions

    1. the act of grasping

    Examples

    • « he released his clasp on my arm »
    • « he has a strong grip for an old man »
    • « she kept a firm hold on the railing »
  5. 2. a tense critical situation

    Examples

    • « he is a good man in the clutch »
  6. 3. a number of birds hatched at the same time
  7. 4. a collection of things or persons to be handled together
  8. 5. a pedal that operates a clutch
  9. 6. a coupling that connects or disconnects driving and driven parts of a driving mechanism

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