- take
- take 1 Take, seize, grasp, clutch, snatch, grab are comparable when they mean to get hold of by or as if by reaching out the arm or hand.Take is not only the most general but also the only colorless term in this group. In ordinary use, especially with reference to physical things, it may imply nothing more than a movement of the hand to get hold of something{
take the lamp from the table
}{take meat from a platter
}or it may imply, with reference not only to physical but to immaterial or intangible things, numerous and often difficult operations by means of which one gets possession of or control over something{take a city
}Between these two extremes take may imply, in innumerable idiomatic applications, a very wide range of methods of getting hold of something or possessing it in some way; thus, one takes a prize by winning it in a competition; one takes a cottage by renting it; one takes the temperature of a room by observing the thermometer{take a bath
}{take the air
}{take a rest
}Seize usually suggests a sudden and forcible taking or getting hold of, and it therefore is interchangeable with take only when emphasis is placed upon these qualities{the hungry children seized the food that was offered them
}{the policeman seized the thief in the act of escaping
}{the fort was seized before its defenders had time to repel the assault
}{seizing between his teeth the cartilage of the trainer's ear— Shaw
}In extended use, especially when the thing seized or the thing seizing is something immaterial or intangible, the term usually suggests a catching of something fleeting or elusive{seize an opportunity
}{seize the attention of the crowd
}or the capture of something by force and, usually, surprise{seize the throne
}{the Breton seized more than he could hold; the Norman took less than he would have liked— Henry Adams
}or the ready understanding of something difficult to apprehend or analyze{the character of Louis XIII is difficult to seize, for it comprised qualities hardly ever combined in one man— Belloc
}Grasp basically implies a laying hold of with the hands, teeth, or claws so as to hold firmly{thy hand is made to grasp a palmer's staff— Shak.
}In extended use the term implies a comparable ability to comprehend fully or adequately something difficult to comprehend either inherently or by reason of circumstances{understood the words I heard, but couldn't seem to grasp their meaning— Kenneth Roberts
}{the evil of the corruption and falsification of law, religion, education, and public opinion is so enormous that the minds of ordinary people are unable to grasp it— Shaw
}Clutch in its basic use implies more haste, more avidity, more urgency, and often less success in getting hold of the thing desired than grasp{I . . . clutched desperately at the twigs as I fell— Hudson
}Only when success is clearly indicated is a tight hold or a clenching suggested{I gave him all the money in my possession .... Gunga Dass clutched the coins, and hid them at once in his ragged loincloth— Kipling
}{he clutched Father Joseph's hand with a grip surprisingly strong— Cather
}In extended use the term usually suggests a mental or emotional grasping at or seizing that is comparable to a physical clutching{they clutch childishly at straws of optimism— Wouk
}{can you never like things without clutching them as if you wanted to pull the heart out of them?— D. H. Lawrence
}Snatch carries the strongest implication of a sudden, hurried movement, but it seldom carries as strong a suggestion of the use of force as does its closest synonym, seize; rather, it often implies stealth{snatch a purse
}{snatch a kiss
}or promptness in rescuing{snatch a child from the flames
}{snatched from the jaws of death
}or rudeness or roughness{snatched the book from her hand
}Consequently in extended use one snatches only what one can get by chance, surreptitiously, or by prompt action{snatch a free moment for writing a letter
}{youngsters snatching at fun while they chased the dream of a happy marriage— Wouk
}Grab commonly implies more rudeness or roughness than snatch, and it also usually implies as much force or violence as seize; distinctively it often suggests vulgarity and indifference to the rights of others or to the standards of the community, or a more or less open unscrupulousness in getting what one wants for oneself{grab all the meat from the platter
}{grabbed his hat and ran
}{grab power
}{Hitler had been helpless to prevent the Russians from grabbing the Baltic States— Shirer
}Analogous words: *have, hold, own, possess: *catch, capture: confiscate, appropriate, preempt (see ARROGATE)2 *receive, accept, admitAnalogous words: acquiesce, accede, *assent, consent, subscribe3 *bring, fetchAnalogous words: *carry, convey, bear
New Dictionary of Synonyms. 2014.
