get a grip on

Idioms  

1. Also, have a grip on. Obtain mastery or control over something or someone. For example, Get a grip on yourself or the reporters will give you a hard time, or, as Arthur Conan Doyle put it in Sherlock Holmes (1894): “I have a grip on the essential facts of the case.” This expression transfers a firm physical hold to emotional or intellectual control. [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

At the same time, successive governments have failed to "get a grip" on the persistent shortage of appropriate placements for these children, according to Dr Kerr.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

There are broader geopolitical reasons for the U.S. to get a grip on Latin America.

From Barron's • Jan. 5, 2026

Iran appointed a new central bank governor this week, Abdolnaser Hemmati, who promised to get a grip on inflation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 31, 2025

"Ministers must urgently get a grip on the spiralling costs of the Covid Inquiry and commit to delivering answers swiftly and efficiently."

From BBC • Dec. 2, 2025

Still standing on the chair, she was able to get a grip on the wooden molding, and she pulled until the panel had come off in her hands.

From "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick