1 : to quickly take and hold (someone or something) with your hand or arms [+ obj] ▪ She grabbed his wrist. = She grabbed him by the wrist. ▪ I have to go back in the house and grab my car keys. ▪ He tried to grab the ball out of her hands. = He tried to grab it (away) from her. ▪ He grabbed hold of a tree branch [=he grabbed a tree branch] and pulled himself out of the water. [no obj] ▪ The little boy grabbed onto his mother's leg and wouldn't let go. 2 [+ obj] : to take or get (something) in a quick and informal way
▪ Grab me a beer, please. = Grab a beer for me, please. ▪ I'll grab a taxi and meet you there. ▪ Let's grab a bite to eat before the movie starts. ▪ Grab a seat. [=sit down] I'll be with you in a minute. 3 [+ obj] informal a : to get the attention or interest of (someone or something)
▪ The store had a lot of nice stuff, but nothing really grabbed me. ▪ The play grabs the audience from the opening scene. ▪ How does that grab you? [=what do you think of that idea?]
b : to get or be given (something, such as attention)
▪ One player in particular has been grabbing a lot of attention lately. ▪ A new cancer treatment grabbed (the) headlines [=it was given much attention in the news] this week. 4 [+ obj] : to take (something) usually in an unfair way
▪ They tried to grab the largest portion of the money for themselves. ▪ He grabbed the company (away) from its founders.