From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbe in the grip of somethingbe in the grip of somethingSUFFERto be experiencing a very unpleasant situation that cannot be controlled or stopped a country in the grip of famine → grip
Examples from the Corpus
be in the grip of something• Arizona is in the grip of one of its most severe dry spells of the past century.• Berlin is in the grip of a heatwave.• He had only a tiny parliamentary majority, and Britain was in the grip of another economic crisis.• The country was in the grip of economic depression, and in June 1921 there were more than two million out of work.• He was in the grip of severe constipation and was only eating fruit in an effort to clear himself out.• To hear some people talk you might imagine that the Republican party is in the grip of rightwing conservative zealots.• When she spoke of Zbigniew Shapira it was as if she was in the grip of a mania.• You are in the grip of an obsession. 