handclasp

[hand-klasp, -klahsp] / ˈhændˌklæsp, -ˌklɑsp /

NOUN

grip

Synonyms

STRONGEST

constraint grasp restraint

STRONG

anchor brace catch cinch cincture clamp clamping clench clinch clutch coercion crushing duress enclosing enclosure fastening fixing grapnel grapple gripe handgrip handhold handshake hold hook ligature lug purchase snatch squeeze strength tenure vise wrench

Antonyms

WEAK

release

NOUN

squeeze

Synonyms

STRONGEST

congestion crunch restraint

STRONG

clasp clutch crush embrace force hold hug influence jam press squash

WEAK

crowd

Antonyms

STRONG

release

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

What matters is the listening, the bearing witness—the quiet handclasp that says, I hear you.

From Slate • May 30, 2017

Whenever possible, he applied the personal touch: a fervent handclasp, an embrace, a clutched arm, a kiss.

From Time Magazine Archive

Even conversions came quietly, with only the exchange of a firm handclasp between minister and convert.

From Time Magazine Archive

But Norman Clyde still has a face that is unlined and a handclasp that can crumple knuckles.

From Time Magazine Archive

As he held her hand in the handclasp, he thought, “She’ll be my wife, someday, God and she willin’.”

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith