grab

grab1 [ græb ] verb transitive **

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

He grabs a knife and dives at the robber.

One of the men was grabbed and shoved 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 percent of sales in the U.S..

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 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

`grab at phrasal verb transitive

grab at something to try to take hold of something in a rough or rude way:

Suddenly he was on his feet, grabbing at her sleeve.

grab

grab 2 [ græb ] noun

1. ) 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.

a ) 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. ) count a machine used for catching and lifting objects

up for grabs INFORMAL

if something is up for grabs, it is available and many people are trying to get or win it