empoigner

to grab; to seize

verb ahm-pwan-YEH Rare

Also means

to grip forcefully

Usage Note

Empoigner implies grabbing with the full hand (poing = fist), suggesting force or urgency. The reflexive s'empoigner means to come to blows or grapple with each other. A related noun is empoignade (a scuffle or heated altercation), which appears in both physical and verbal confrontation contexts.

Examples

"Il empoigne le câble pour ne pas tomber."

Natural Translation

He grabs the cable so as not to fall.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

French Liaison Rules: When to Link Words (and Not To)

French liaison links a silent final consonant to the next vowel. Learn the obligatory, forbidden, and optional rules, plus the s→z and d→t sound shifts.

June 4, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

Faire in French: To Make, To Do, and More

Faire in French means more than make and do: master faire vs rendre, weather and sports idioms, the causative, and the mistakes English speakers make.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

French False Friends: 25 Faux Amis to Avoid

French false friends look like English words but mean something else: actuellement is not actually, sensible means sensitive. Here are 25 faux amis to avoid.

June 3, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

En, Au, Aux: French Prepositions for Countries

Use en for feminine countries, au for masculine, aux for plural, and à for cities. Full French preposition rule for countries, with a lookup table and traps.

June 4, 2026 5 min read