A gripper which is structurally simple and can reliably and quickly grip small articles of various different shapes. The gripper has a base including a fixed portion and a movable portion movable longitudinally toward and away from the fixed portion, a first gripper portion provided on the fixed portion, a second gripper portion provided on the movable portion, and a moving/fixing mechanism for gripping a small article of an indefinite shape by moving the second gripper portion toward the first gripper portion.