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

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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

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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 The patron stands, hands clasped behind his back, with a foot perched on the box. — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 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

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

The Roadster clung to the surface, hanging upside-down from the ledge like a gecko on a ceiling thanks to a special fan suction system on its chassis.

— Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Real Sociedad almost gave up a three-goal lead and were reduced to 10 men but clung on to beat Deportivo La Coruna 3-2.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of clung

Verb

On the microphone, his promos conveyed a no-nonsense intensity that equally gripped viewers.

— Rudy Chinchilla, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026
Hundreds of mourners later gathered at Rehman Baba cemetery for mass funeral prayers as grief gripped the neighborhood and announcements echoed from mosque loudspeakers, urging residents to join in prayers for those killed.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of gripped

Verb

The Brewers took a 5-4 lead on Garrett Mitchell’s solo home run in the sixth inning and added an insurance run in the ninth on Hamilton’s bomb.

— Greg Rosenstein, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
Perhaps the squad took his ball-respecting mantra to its logical extreme, seemingly reluctant to sully it by smashing it into the net, with Chelsea recording the biggest xG underperformance in the Premier League during his brief tenure.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 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 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of clasped

verb

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