grab

I UK [ɡræb] / US verb [transitive]
Word forms "grab":
present tense I/you/we/they grab he/she/it grabs present participle grabbing past tense grabbed past participle grabbed
**

1) to take hold of something in a rough or rude way

He grabbed the knife before I could get to it.

One of the men was grabbed and bundled into a car.

grab hold of:

I grabbed hold of his hair.

grab someone by something:

Ben grabbed Marco by the arm.

2) to succeed in getting something, especially by being quick or by being the best at something

We got there early and grabbed seats at the front.

The brand now grabs 26 per cent of sales in the US.

grab someone's attention:

It's often the bad characters in a story who grab our attention.

grab an opportunity/chance:

I grabbed the chance to escape for a few minutes.

3) informal to interest someone, or to make them feel enthusiastic

The idea didn't really grab me.

4) informal if you grab food or sleep, you eat quickly or sleep for a short time

I'll grab a sandwich back at the hotel.

•

grab (the) headlines — to get a lot of public attention, especially by appearing in the news

Her trial for killing her two infant sons grabbed the headlines.

Phrasal verbs:

- grab at

II UK [ɡræb] / US noun
Word forms "grab":
singular grab plural grabs

1)

a) [singular] an attempt to take hold of something

make a grab at/for something:

Rose rushed at Dieter and made a grab at his wrist.

b) used for saying that someone tries to obtain something by acting quickly

make a grab at/for something:

The army chose this moment to make a grab for power.

2) [countable] a machine used for catching and lifting objects

•

- up for grabs