Definition of gripping in US English:

gripping

adjective

Firmly holding the attention or interest; exciting.
‘a gripping TV thriller’
- ‘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.’