Definition

1. Verb:

   • To grab, to seize: To take hold of something or someone quickly and firmly, often with the hand.
   • To nab, to catch: To capture or apprehend someone, typically used in informal contexts regarding catching a wrongdoer.
   • To gather, to bunch: To pull or draw things together into a small, tight cluster or bundle.

2. Noun:

   • A tuft, a small bundle: A small, tight bunch or cluster of long, thin items held together.

Usage Examples

• Verb:

  • Cô ấy túm lấy tay áo tôi. (She grabbed my sleeve.)
  • Cảnh sát đã túm được tên trộm. (The police nabbed the thief.)
  • Hãy túm những sợi dây này lại. (Bunch these strings together.)

• Noun:

  • Cô ấy cầm một túm hoa dại. (She held a small bunch of wildflowers.)
  • Một túm tóc. (A tuft of hair.)

Advanced Usage

• "túm năm túm ba": To gather in small groups (often with a connotation of gossiping or plotting).

  • Họ ngồi túm năm túm ba bàn tán. (They sat around in small groups chatting.)

• "túm tóc": To grab by the hair.

  • Hai đứa trẻ túm tóc nhau. (The two children grabbed each other's hair.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tụm lại (v): To gather, to cluster together.

  • Lũ trẻ tụm lại xem một con bọ. (The children clustered together to look at a bug.)

• Buộc túm (v): To tie into a bundle.

  • Buộc túm rau lại trước khi mang về. (Tie the vegetables into a bundle before taking them home.)

Synonyms

• Grab: To seize suddenly.
• Nab: To catch or seize, especially a criminal.
• Tuft: A bunch of strands attached at one end.

Related Idioms

• Túm tóc, bứt tai: To come to blows, to get into a physical fight (literally: to grab hair and pull ears).
  • Cuộc tranh cãi suýt dẫn đến túm tóc, bứt tai. (The argument almost led to a hair-pulling fight.)

noun

1. snatch

verb

1. to grab, to nab to bundle