clutch one's pearls
clutch one's pearls verb: to react with consternation to someone or something that violates the usual norms.
Verb
clutch one's pearls (third-person singular simple present clutches one's pearls, present participle clutching one's pearls, simple past and past participle clutched one's pearls)
- To react with consternation to someone or something that violates the usual norms.
- Of course, you can't say any of this out loud, or people will clutch their pearls and call you a monster.2013, Michelle Hodkin, The Evolution of Mara Dyer
- I can tell you I've heard some ugly shit that would make Ozzy Osbourne clutch his pearls.2016, Elisabeth Staab, By the Rules
Forms of clutch one's pearls
| third-person singular present | clutches one's pearls |
|---|---|
| present participle | clutching one's pearls |
| past participle | clutched one's pearls |
| past | clutched one's pearls |
Origin of clutch one's pearls
From the stereotype of a woman who wears pearls and is easily offended.
Questions about clutch one's pearls
- What does clutch one's pearls mean?
- Clutch one's pearls means to react with consternation to someone or something that violates the usual norms.
- What part of speech is clutch one's pearls?
- Clutch one's pearls is a verb.
- What is the past tense of clutch one's pearls?
- The past tense of clutch one's pearls is clutched one's pearls.
Words near clutch one's pearls in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: clutch one's pearls (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “clutch one's pearls.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/clutch_one%27s_pearls. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.