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Gripe Gripe, n. 1. Grasp; seizure; fast hold; clutch. [1913 Webster]

A barren scepter in my gripe. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

2. That on which the grasp is put; a handle; a grip; as, the gripe of a sword. [1913 Webster]

3. (Mech.) A device for grasping or holding anything; a brake to stop a wheel. [1913 Webster]

4. Oppression; cruel exaction; affiction; pinching distress; as, the gripe of poverty. [1913 Webster]

5. Pinching and spasmodic pain in the intestines; -- chiefly used in the plural. [1913 Webster]

6. (Naut.) (a) The piece of timber which terminates the keel at the fore end; the forefoot. (b) The compass or sharpness of a ship's stern under the water, having a tendency to make her keep a good wind. (c) pl. 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. [1913 Webster]

{Gripe penny}, {a} miser; a niggard. --D. L. Mackenzie. [1913 Webster]