grasp
to seize and hold by or as if by clasping with the fingers or arms.
to seize upon; hold firmly.
to get hold of mentally; comprehend; understand: I don't grasp your meaning.
to make an attempt to seize, or a motion of seizing, something (usually followed by at or for): a drowning man grasping at straws; to grasp for an enemy's rifle.
the act of grasping or gripping, as with the hands or arms: to make a grasp at something.
a hold or grip: to have a firm grasp of a rope.
one's arms or hands, in embracing or gripping: He took her in his grasp.
one's power of seizing and holding; reach: to have a thing within one's grasp.
hold, possession, or mastery: to wrest power from the grasp of a usurper.
mental hold or capacity; power to understand.
broad or thorough comprehension: a good grasp of computer programming.
Origin of grasp
1synonym study For grasp
Other words for grasp
Opposites for grasp
Other words from grasp
- grasp·a·ble, adjective
- grasper, noun
- graspless, adjective
- re·grasp, verb (used with object)
- un·grasp·a·ble, adjective
- un·grasped, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use grasp in a sentence
He grasps the phone in his capable hand, outstretches his long arm toward the ceiling, and angles it down just so.
The Ugly Truth About Cory Booker, New Jersey’s Golden Boy | Olivia Nuzzi | October 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTShe grasps the wrinkled front page of the local paper, announcing the shutdown.
Sob-Story Campaign Between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama Turns on Personal Pain | Howard Kurtz | May 25, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTTipoteh grasps for a phrase and ends up with something more sober than optimistic.
Liberia Rethinks Its Past in Wake of Charles Taylor War-Crimes Verdict | Emily Schmall, Clair MacDougall | April 28, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTI can only vote for a president who grasps first principles and sticks to them.
Why Obama Health-Care Rule on Contraception Angers Catholic Democrats | Michael Sean Winters | February 10, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTOnce a community grasps this, it moves very quickly towards abandonment and declares its intention to no longer cut girls.
The sterling trait in his character is, that he grasps after originality, and grapples with every difficulty.
He grasps with his right hand a gun, or crossbow, and looks angrily towards the King, who seems somewhat confused and alarmed.
The Fortunes of Nigel | Sir Walter ScottHe wears a conical hat, and grasps a crutch with one hand while he holds a pruning hook in the other.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Carlisle | C. King EleyA story that grasps our interest with its first chapter and causes us to follow breathlessly until the climax.
The Princess Dehra | John Reed ScottThe passenger who has to cross the Huaro is tied to the yoke, and grasps it firmly with both hands.
British Dictionary definitions for grasp
/ (ɡrɑːsp) /
to grip (something) firmly with or as if with the hands
(when intr, often foll by at) to struggle, snatch, or grope (for)
(tr) to understand, esp with effort
the act of grasping
a grip or clasp, as of a hand
the capacity to accomplish (esp in the phrase within one's grasp)
total rule or possession
understanding; comprehension
Origin of grasp
1Derived forms of grasp
- graspable, adjective
- grasper, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with grasp
In addition to the idiom beginning with grasp
- grasp at straws
also see:
- get a fix on (grasp of)
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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