Definition of gripping in US English:

adjective

• Firmly holding the attention or interest; exciting.

  ‘a gripping TV thriller’

  More example sentences

  • ‘The memory defect makes for some unusual scenes: some gripping, some shocking, some funny.’
  • ‘The film is brave, honest and utterly gripping.’
  • ‘But as cinematic fright trips go, Jaws remains the most gripping.’
  • ‘So he laid out the story with gripping, sorrowful detail.’
  • ‘How geckos adhere has been a gripping topic of scientific research for well over a century.’
  • ‘Building towards a gripping conclusion, The Octopus Hunter comes into its own by its blood splattered end.’
  • ‘It takes considerable skill to craft a gripping novel approaching 300 pages in which nothing much happens during the first 150.’
  • ‘Documentary film-making doesn't get much more intelligent and gripping than this.’
  • ‘And I think this is what makes her story so gripping, especially to women.’
  • ‘The superb single-player option is supplemented by a gripping two-player versus mode.’
  • ‘Call me old fashioned but I like a good story with some gripping characters.’
  • ‘Despite this good idea, however, the film fails to take it to what should have been a gripping conclusion.’
  • ‘It is very brief but even so makes quite horrifying and therefore quite gripping reading.’
  • ‘There are too many gripping moments to mention in this documentary.’
  • ‘Less gripping are those swaths of the book that are essentially a biography of Salk, who simply wasn't a colorful character.’
  • ‘Els was left with a four foot uphill putt, which he made to complete a gripping finale.’
  • ‘Perhaps most gripping is the scorched earth surrounding Khe Sanh, site of the bloodiest siege in the war.’
  • ‘He is in practically every scene in the film and he holds all of them with gripping power.’
  • ‘The story of every convert to Judaism is a gripping tale of spiritual discovery.’
  • ‘Although she offers gripping accounts of classified CIA memos, she rarely discusses ideas and publications.’