1 C1 informal
To physically grab or hold onto someone or something firmly.
"The frightened child glombed onto his mother's arm and would not let go."
inseparable
glomb onto
C1 informal inseparable transitive
A dialectal or regional variant of 'glom onto,' meaning to seize, grab, or attach oneself firmly to someone, something, or an idea.
In plain English
To grab hold of something or to latch onto an idea or person and not let go.
What does "glomb onto" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic informal
To seize upon an idea, opportunity, or trend and embrace it enthusiastically.
"She glombed onto the new marketing strategy as if it were her own idea."
inseparable
Usage tip
Non-standard and regional. Virtually identical in meaning and usage to 'glomb on.' Both are dialectal variants of 'glom onto,' which is itself informal American English. ESL learners should use 'latch onto' or 'glom onto' in standard contexts.
Words that pair with "glomb onto"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
idea opportunity person concept trend belief
How to conjugate "glomb onto"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
glomb onto
I/you/we/they
3rd person
glombs onto
he/she/it
Past simple
glombed onto
yesterday
Past participle
glombed onto
have + pp
-ing form
glombing onto
continuous
Hear "glomb onto" in the wild
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