If you clasp someone or something, you hold them tightly in your hands or arms. She clasped the children to her He paced the corridor, hands clasped behind his back
the act of grasping; "he released his clasp on my arm"; "he has a strong grip for an old man"; "she kept a firm hold on the railing" a fastener (as a buckle or hook) that is used to hold two things together hold firmly and tightly grasp firmly; "The child clasped my hands