Definition of gripe

• n. - A vulture; the griffin.
• v. t. - To catch with the hand; to clasp closely with the fingers; to clutch.
• v. t. - To seize and hold fast; to embrace closely.
• v. t. - 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.
• v. i. - To clutch, hold, or pinch a thing, esp. money, with a gripe or as with a gripe.
• v. i. - To suffer griping pains.
• v. i. - To tend to come up into the wind, as a ship which, when sailing closehauled, requires constant labor at the helm.
• n. - Grasp; seizure; fast hold; clutch.
• n. - That on which the grasp is put; a handle; a grip; as, the gripe of a sword.
• n. - A device for grasping or holding anything; a brake to stop a wheel.
• n. - Oppression; cruel exaction; affiction; pinching distress; as, the gripe of poverty.
• n. - Pinching and spasmodic pain in the intestines; -- chiefly used in the plural.
• n. - The piece of timber which terminates the keel at the fore end; the forefoot.
• n. - The compass or sharpness of a ship's stern under the water, having a tendency to make her keep a good wind.
• n. - 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.