fistful

What fingers clutch

A fistful is the amount that can be held in a closed hand: a fistful of coins, a fistful of hair.

By extension, it suggests a small but substantial quantity of anything: a fistful of documents, a fistful of complaints.

The word implies grabbing—taking hold of something with force or urgency.

grasp

grip

Secure manual hold

claspSecuring device that clicks
clenchSqueeze tightly shut
clutchMechanism linking engine to gearbox

palm · fingers · hold · squeeze · hand · pinch · bunch · wad · grab · handful

quantity

handful

Amount a palm holds

bunchGrouped collection of items
clumpThick gathered mass
wadSoft compressed mass

gob · chunk · lump · dollop · scoop · bundle · batch · heap · pile · cluster

measure

pinch

Squeeze with fingertips

scoopFirst-reported story
dollopSmall shapeless portion
spoonfulQuantity a scoop holds

dash · handful · portion · serving · dose · smidgen · sprinkle

aggression

punch

Strike with fist

blowMove air forcefully
strikeForceful impact or stoppage
knucklesFinger-to-hand joints

swing · jab · clench · threat · brandish · fighting · brawl

Categories

piecespiece, bit, chunk, fragment, part
loadsload, armload, boatload, busload, carload
quantitiessome, many, few, amount, several

Opposites

quantity/amount

fistfulpinch

Squeeze with fingertips

smidgen · trace · speck · dab · hint

Family

fistfight, fistfuls, fistfights

Familiarity: Top 50,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G