It's dead, she thought, despair gripping her.

Fear and despair gripped him.

Shock and despair gripped him unshakably.

That would be something to cling to when despair gripped him again, as he had a feeling it almost inevitably would.

He swam on, but despair of finding the other land, or even of saving his life, now gripped him.

After an interminable time, he heard the dim and faraway voice intone, "Thirty," and despair gripped him as he wondered,How can I possibly withstand another twenty lashes?

Yes, death, destruction and despair have tragically gripped the Bay Area.

On the other hand, Greek news agency ANA-MPA reported "despair has gripped the Republic of Cyprus" following the release of early election results.

A dark, frenetic despair is gripping the Bosnian Serb enclave.