Definition of CLUTCH

clutch

Plural: clutches

Noun

  • the act of grasping
  • a tense critical situation
    • "he is a good man in the clutch"
  • a number of birds hatched at the same time
  • a collection of things or persons to be handled together
  • a woman's strapless purse that is carried in the hand
  • a pedal or lever that engages or disengages a rotating shaft and a driving mechanism
    • "he smoothely released the clutch with one foot and stepped on the gas with the other"
  • a coupling that connects or disconnects driving and driven parts of a driving mechanism
    • "this year's model has an improved clutch"
  • The claw of a predatory animal or bird.
  • A grip, especially one seen as rapacious or evil.
  • A device to interrupt power transmission, commonly used to separate the engine and gearbox in a car.
  • The pedal in a car that disengages power and torque transmission from the engine (through the drivetrain) to the drive wheels.
  • Any device for gripping an object, as at the end of a chain or tackle.
  • A fastener that attaches to the back of a tack pin to secure an accessory to clothing. (See Clutch (pin fastener).)
  • A small handbag or purse with no straps or handle.
  • An important or critical situation.
  • A difficult maneuver.
  • A brood of chickens or a sitting of eggs; a sitting.
  • A group or bunch (of people or things).

Verb

Verb Forms: clutched, clutching, clutches

  • To grasp or seize something tightly and suddenly.
  • take hold of; grab
    • "She clutched her purse"
  • hold firmly, usually with one's hands
    • "She clutched my arm when she got scared"
  • affect
  • To seize, as though with claws.
  • To grip or grasp tightly.
  • To win despite being the only remaining player on one's team, against several opponents.
  • To unexpectedly or luckily succeed in a difficult activity.
  • To hatch.

Adj

  • Performing or tending to perform well in difficult, high-pressure situations.

Examples

  • She clutched her purse tightly and walked nervously into the building.
  • She would CLUTCH her head in exasperation every time her Scrabble opponent found a bingo.
  • to clutch power
  • to come in clutch

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English clucchen, clicchen, cluchen, clechen, cleken, from Old English clyċċan (“to clutch, clench”), from Proto-West Germanic *klukkjan, from Proto-Germanic *klukjaną, from Proto-Germanic *klu- (“to ball up, conglomerate, amass”), from Proto-Indo-European *glew- (“to ball up; lump, mass”).
Cognate with Swedish klyka (“clamp, fork, branch”). The noun is from Middle English cleche, cloche, cloke ("claw, talon, hand"; compare Scots cleuk, cluke, cluik (“claw, talon”)), of uncertain origin, with the form probably assimilated to the verb.
Alternative etymology derives Old English clyċċan from Proto-Germanic *klēk- (“claw, hand”), from Proto-Indo-European *glēk-, *ǵlēḱ- (“claw, hand; to clutch, snatch”). If so, then cognate with Irish glac (“hand”).

Synonyms

batch, clasp, clench, cling to, clutch bag, clutch pedal, clutches, get hold of, grasp, grip, hold, hold close, hold tight, prehend, seize, beclasp, begrasp, begrip, belock, clinch, cling, clutch, enclasp, fang, fondle, glaum, grab, grabble, hang on, hold on, nab, nim, setting, sitting, stranglehold, take

Scrabble Score: 13

clutch: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
clutch: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
clutch: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 16

clutch: valid Words With Friends Word