"gripping" in the verb sense
1. grip
hold fast or firmly
"He gripped the steering wheel"
2. grapple, grip
to grip or seize, as in a wrestling match
"the two men grappled with each other for several minutes"
3. fascinate, transfix, grip, spellbind
to render motionless, as with a fixed stare or by arousing terror or awe
"The snake charmer fascinates the cobra"
"gripping" in the adjective sense
1. absorbing, engrossing, fascinating, gripping, riveting
capable of arousing and holding the attention
"a fascinating story"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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