gripped
grip-ped
verb
Held something very firmly in one's hand or with a strong grasp.
"He gripped the steering wheel."
verb
Completely captured someone's attention or affected them strongly emotionally.
"The story gripped the nation."
Thesaurus
Synonyms: grip, fascinate, transfix, spellbind, grapple, grasp, handle, handgrip, hold, traction, adhesive friction, clutches