grabber

English

Etymology

grab +‎ -er

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɹæb.ə(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -æbə(ɹ)

Noun

grabber (plural grabbers)

1. One who, or that which, grabs (seizes).
   • 1985, Ebony (volume 40, number 12, page 130)

     Another money grabber, according to Ms. Chapman, is the woman who makes $30,000-$40,000 or more a year, but lives as though she makes twice as much.

2. (television, film) A line of dialogue, etc. that captures the viewer's attention.
   • 2001, Lydia Wilen, ‎Joan Wilen, How to Sell Your Screenplay (page 166)

     Get to the story and make sure that line 6 or 7 is a grabber. TV viewers have attention spans of fifteen seconds, and then they hit the remote.

3. A machine in an amusement arcade containing prizes which the player must attempt to pick up with a mechanical grabbing arm.

Derived terms

• frame grabber
• video grabber