"clutches" in the noun sense
1. clasp, clench, clutch, clutches, grasp, grip, hold
the act of grasping
"he released his clasp on my arm"
"he has a strong grip for an old man"
"she kept a firm hold on the railing"
"he released his clasp on my arm"
"he has a strong grip for an old man"
"she kept a firm hold on the railing"
2. clutch
a tense critical situation
"he is a good man in the clutch"
3. clutch
a number of birds hatched at the same time
4. batch, clutch
a collection of things or persons to be handled together
5. clutch bag, clutch
a woman's strapless purse that is carried in the hand
6. clutch, clutch pedal
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"
7. clutch
a coupling that connects or disconnects driving and driven parts of a driving mechanism
"this year's model has an improved clutch"
"clutches" in the verb sense
1. seize, prehend, clutch
take hold of grab
"The sales clerk 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. cling to, hold close, hold tight, clutch
hold firmly, usually with one's hands
"She clutched my arm when she got scared"
3. seize, clutch, get hold of
affect
"Fear seized the prisoners"
"The patient was seized with unbearable pains"
"He was seized with a dreadful disease"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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