Meaning of 'gripe' (Webster Dictionary)
- A vulture; the griffin.
- Grasp; seizure; fast hold; clutch.
- That on which the grasp is put; a handle; a grip; as, the
gripe of a sword.
- A device for grasping or holding anything; a brake to stop a
- Oppression; cruel exaction; affiction; pinching distress;
as, the gripe of poverty.
- Pinching and spasmodic pain in the intestines; -- chiefly
used in the plural.
- The piece of timber which terminates the keel at the fore
end; the forefoot.
- The compass or sharpness of a ship's stern under the water,
having a tendency to make her keep a good wind.
- An assemblage of ropes, dead-eyes, and hocks, fastened to
ringbolts in the deck, to secure the boats when hoisted; also, broad
bands passed around a boat to secure it at the davits and prevent
swinging. - To clutch, hold, or pinch a thing, esp. money, with a
gripe or as with a gripe.
- To suffer griping pains.
- To tend to come up into the wind, as a ship which, when
sailing closehauled, requires constant labor at the helm. - To catch with the hand; to clasp closely with the
fingers; to clutch.
- To seize and hold fast; to embrace closely.
- To pinch; to distress. Specifically, to cause pinching
and spasmodic pain to the bowels of, as by the effects of certain
purgative or indigestible substances.