6 N‑UNCOUNT If things such as shoes or car tyres have grip , they do not slip. □ …a new way of reinforcing rubber which gives car tyres better grip.
7 N‑COUNT A grip is a bag that is smaller than a suitcase, and that you use when you are travelling.
8 PHRASE If you get to grips with a problem or if you come to grips with it, you consider it seriously, and start taking action to deal with it. □ The government's first task is to get to grips with the economy.
9 PHRASE If you get a grip on yourself, you make an effort to control or improve your behaviour or work.
10 PHRASE If a person, group, or place is in the grip of something, they are being severely affected by it. □ Britain is still in the grip of recession. □ …a region in the grip of severe drought.
11 PHRASE If you lose your grip , you become less efficient and less confident, and less able to deal with things.
12 PHRASE If you say that someone has a grip on reality , you mean they recognize the true situation and do not have mistaken ideas about it. □ Shakur loses his fragile grip on reality and starts blasting away at friends and foe alike. COLLOCATIONS grip NOUN
2
adjective + grip : firm, strong, tight; loose; overhand
3
adjective + grip : firm, iron, tight, vice-like; tenuous
verb + grip : keep, maintain; lose VERB
1
grip + adverb : firmly, tightly
4
noun + grip : fear, fever, mania, panic; crisis
gripe /gra I p/ (gripes , griping , griped )
1 VERB If you say that someone is griping , you mean they are annoying you because they keep on complaining about something. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V ] Why are football players griping when the average salary is half a million dollars? □ [V + about ] They were always griping about high prices. ● grip|ing N‑UNCOUNT □ Still, the griping went on.
2 N‑COUNT A gripe is a complaint about something. [INFORMAL ] □ My only gripe is that one main course and one dessert were unavailable.
grip|ing /gra I p I ŋ/ ADJ [ADJ n] A griping pain is a sudden, sharp pain in your stomach or bowels.
gris|ly /gr I zli/ (grislier , grisliest ) ADJ [usu ADJ n] Something that is grisly is extremely unpleasant, and usually involves death and violence. □ …two horrifically grisly murders.
grist /gr I st/ PHRASE If you say that something is grist to the mill , you mean that it is useful for a particular purpose or helps support someone's point of view.
gris|tle /gr I s ə l/ N‑UNCOUNT Gristle is a tough, rubbery substance found in meat, especially in meat of poor quality, which is unpleasant to eat.
grit /gr I t/ (grits , gritting , gritted )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Grit is very small pieces of stone. It is often put on roads in winter to make them less slippery. □ [+ of ] He felt tiny bits of grit and sand peppering his knees.
2 N‑UNCOUNT If someone has grit , they have the determination and courage to continue doing something even though it is very difficult. □ You've got to admire her grit.
3 VERB If you grit your teeth , you press your upper and lower teeth tightly together, usually because you are angry about something. □ [V n] Gritting my teeth, I did my best to stifle one or two remarks. □ [V -ed] 'It is clear that my client has been less than frank with me,' he said, through gritted teeth.
4 PHRASE If you grit your teeth , you make up your mind to carry on even if the situation is very difficult. □ There is going to be hardship, but we have to grit our teeth and get on with it.
grit|ty /gr I ti/ (grittier , grittiest )
1 ADJ Something that is gritty contains grit, is covered with grit, or has a texture like that of grit. □ The sheets fell on the gritty floor, and she just let them lie.
2 ADJ Someone who is gritty is brave and determined. □ We have to prove how gritty we are. □ …a gritty determination to avoid humiliation.
3 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A gritty description of a tough or unpleasant situation shows it in a very realistic way. □ …gritty social comment.
griz|zled /gr I z ə ld/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A grizzled person or a person with grizzled hair has hair that is grey or partly grey.
griz|zly /gr I zli/ (grizzlies )
1 N‑COUNT A grizzly or a grizzly bear is a large, fierce, greyish-brown bear. □ …two grizzly bear cubs.
2 → see also grisly
groan /groʊ n/ (groans , groaning , groaned )
1 VERB If you groan , you make a long, low sound because you are in pain, or because you are upset or unhappy about something. □ [V + with ] Slowly, he opened his eyes. As he did so, he began to groan with pain. □ [V ] They glanced at the man on the floor, who began to groan. □ [V -ing] She was making small groaning noises. ● N‑COUNT Groan is also a noun. □ She heard him let out a pitiful, muffled groan. □ As his ball flew wide, there was a collective groan from the stands.
2 VERB If you groan something, you say it in a low, unhappy voice. □ [V with quote] 'My leg–I think it's broken,' Eric groaned.
3 VERB If you groan about something, you complain about it. □ [V + about ] His parents were beginning to groan about the price of college tuition. [Also V , V that] ● N‑COUNT Groan is also a noun. □ Listen sympathetically to your child's moans and groans about what she can't do.