as in control
the right or means to command or control others
the cult leader had such a death grip on his followers that all orders were carried out without the slightest objection
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Recent Examples of death grip
Across genres and styles, new books must maintain a death grip on the reader’s attention, fearful of losing it to the many readily accessible distractions lying at most one foot from the book itself.
—
Robert Rubsam, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
Detachment creates attachment The death grip on your goals is what's killing them.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Next, scientists will need to examine Cretaceous leaves for evidence of death grips to see if the prehistoric fungi had evolved to manipulate insects’ behavior during this time, says Jarzembowski in the statement.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 June 2025
After further assessment and some discussion, the team focused on the quad, which evidently had a death grip on Tichyque’s femur.
—Literary Hub, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for death grip
Robert Rubsam, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
Detachment creates attachment The death grip on your goals is what's killing them.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Next, scientists will need to examine Cretaceous leaves for evidence of death grips to see if the prehistoric fungi had evolved to manipulate insects’ behavior during this time, says Jarzembowski in the statement.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 June 2025
After further assessment and some discussion, the team focused on the quad, which evidently had a death grip on Tichyque’s femur.
—Literary Hub, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for death grip
Recent Examples of Synonyms for death grip
Noun
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Fiber-optic drones are not piloted via, for example, GPS signals or radio control.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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Why mosquito control matters beyond the bites For most gardeners, mosquitoes are about comfort — or the lack of it.—
Ryan Brennan,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Stars’ 71 power-play goals ranked first in the NHL in 2025-26, and Johnston’s 27 were the second-most in a single season since the 2004-05 lockout.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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They're driven very much by power, domination, control.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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This was clearly outside the purview of the colonizer, who saw land as a resource held under his dominion.—
Tim Brinkhof,
JSTOR Daily,
22 Apr. 2026
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For China, bringing Taiwan under its dominion would break through that barrier and expand its military reach.—
Wayne Chang,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But the bills didn’t have support from law enforcement, which wields significant sway in the Capitol.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
30 Apr. 2026
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No judges, no editorial sway, just the crowd’s consensus.—
Wendy Naugle,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Another president will be along soon Monarchs don’t have terms or term limits, although Charles’ reign will certainly be shorter than his mother’s seven decades.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2026
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Stylistically, the naturalistic sculpture hails from the reign of Augustus, dating between 27 BCE and 14 CE.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Death grip.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/death%20grip. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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