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1. Take hold of; grab
   "She clutched her purse";
   - seize, prehend [archaic]
    
2. Hold firmly, usually with one's hands
   "She clutched my arm when she got scared";
   - cling to, hold close, hold tight
    
3. Affect
   "Fear clutched the prisoners";
   - seize, get hold of

1. A coupling that connects or disconnects driving and driven parts of a driving mechanism
   "this year's model has an improved clutch"
    
2. A pedal or lever that engages or disengages a rotating shaft and a driving mechanism
   "he smoothly released the clutch with one foot and stepped on the gas with the other";
   - clutch pedal
    
3. The act of grasping
   "he released his clutch on my arm";
   - clasp, clench, clutches, grasp, grip, hold
    
4. A tense critical situation
   "he is a good man in the clutch"
    
5. A number of birds hatched at the same time
    
6. A collection of things or persons to be handled together
   - batch
    
7. [N. Amer] A woman's strapless purse that is carried in the hand
   - clutch bag

Derived forms: clutched, clutching, clutches

Type of: accumulation, aggregation, assemblage, bag, brood, collection, coupler, coupling, foot lever, foot pedal, get hold of, grasping, handbag, hold, overcome, overpower, overtake, overwhelm, pedal, pocketbook, prehension, purse, seizing, sweep over, take, take hold, taking hold, temporary state, treadle

Part of: transmission, transmission system

Encyclopedia: Clutch