grabs

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of grab.

   The toddler grabs anything left within reach on the table.

   Whenever the phone rings, she grabs it before the second ring.

   Note

   Whether the hand closes depends on what follows. She grabs the rail means she has hold of it, while he grabs at the rail describes only the clutching motion. In casual speech the form also covers taking something quickly (she grabs a coffee on the way out) and seizing attention (the opening line grabs you).

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of grab.

   The wrestler's desperate grabs failed to stop his opponent.

   Several grabs at the handrail saved her from a nasty fall.

   Note

   One plural covers several quite different nouns: sudden snatches, land or power taken by unjust means, the clutching jaws of a machine, and even sound bites. Grab is countable in nearly all of these, so the plural comes easily. The same spelling is also the present-tense verb. A number or determiner in front (two grabs, the grabs) tells you it is the noun.

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