grab

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch grabben (“to grab”) or Middle Low German grabben (“to snap”), from Old Dutch or Old Saxon gravan, from Proto-West Germanic *graban, from Proto-Germanic *grab-, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ-. See also Sanskrit गृह्णाति (gṛhṇā́ti), गृभ्णाति (gṛbhṇā́ti, “he seizes”), Avestan 𐬔𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬡 (gar^əβ, “to seize”)). Cognate with Danish grabbe (“to grab”), Swedish grabba (“to grab”), Old English ġegræppian (“to seize”), Middle English grappen (“to feel with the hands; grope”), Macedonian грабне (grabne, “to snatch”), Bulgarian грабя (grabja, “to rob, to grab”).

verb

1. (transitive) To grip suddenly; to seize; to clutch.
   Old Applegate, in the stern, just set and looked at me, and Lord James, amidship, waved both arms and kept hollering for help. I took a couple of everlasting big strokes and managed to grab hold of the skiff's rail, close to the stern. 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 7, in Mr. Pratt's Patients
   I grabbed her hand to pull her back from the cliff edge.
2. (intransitive) To make a sudden grasping or clutching motion (at something).
   The suspect suddenly broke free and grabbed at the policeman's gun.
3. To restrain someone; to arrest.
4. (transitive) To grip the attention of; to enthrall or interest.
   How does that idea grab you?
   Baby, instant soup doesn't really grab me Today I need something more substantial 1992, “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite”, in Automatic for the People, performed by R.E.M.
5. (informal) To quickly collect, retrieve, or take.
   Come in and grab a seat [i.e. sit down].
   "I'll just grab my jacket," said Manh-Hung. 1987, James Grady, Just a Shot Away, Bantam, page 117
   Hardly believing that Rafe actually planned to relax for a while, Kate nodded. "All right. Fine. I'll just go grab my purse." 1999, Jillian Dagg, Racing Hearts, Thomas Bouregy & Co., page 105
   He looked at Albert and Ben, and then back to Nurse Allen. "I'll just grab my gear and be right back." 2009, Mike Taylor, A Thousand Sleeps,, Tate Publishing, page 216
6. (informal) To consume something quickly.
   We'll just grab a sandwich and then we'll be on our way.
   Is there time to grab a coffee?
7. To take the opportunity of.
   Both teams wasted good opportunities to score but it was the London side who did grab what proved to be the decisive third when the unmarked Vaz Te, a January signing from Barnsley, drilled the ball into the net from 12 yards. May 19, 2012, Paul Fletcher, “Blackpool 1-2 West Ham”, in BBC Sport

noun

1. (countable) A sudden snatch at something.
   The ball popped in and popped out, and when he made a grab for it on the ground he kicked it with his foot. 1931 April, Harold M. Sherman, “The Baseball Clown”, in Boys' Life, volume 21, number 4, Boy Scouts of America, page 47
   He made a grab for me and I swung my handbag at him as hard as I could. 2003, J Davey, Six Years of Darkness, Trafford Publishing, page 66
2. (countable) An acquisition by violent or unjust means.
3. (countable) A mechanical device that grabs or clutches.
   Almost all modern cranes are electrically operated and a quick-acting type of 30 cwt. capacity is suitable for general cargo, but not powerful enough to operate grabs for discharge of bulk cargoes. 1945 January and February, T. F. Cameron, “Dock Working”, in Railway Magazine, page 11
   1. A device for withdrawing drills, etc., from artesian and other wells that are drilled, bored, or driven.
4. (countable, media) A sound bite.
   For example, one radio bulletin may feature one central issue, like a state election, and will focus on that issue. The bulletin might contain only a few voice wraps but many grabs, leaving the focus firmly on the newsreader. 2008, Melissa Agnew, Here is the (Australian) News
5. (obsolete) That which is seized.
6. (uncountable) A simple card game.

Etymology 2

Arabic غُرَاب (ḡurāb) and Hindi ghurb?: crow, raven, a kind of Arab ship.

noun

1. A two- or three-masted vessel used on the Malabar coast.