grasp
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- clutches
-
mental hold or capacity; power to understand.
- Synonyms:
- comprehension, apprehension, understanding
-
broad or thorough comprehension.
a good grasp of computer programming.
verb
-
to grip (something) firmly with or as if with the hands
-
to struggle, snatch, or grope (for)
-
(tr) to understand, esp with effort
noun
-
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
Synonym Usage
See catch. Grasp, reach refer to the power of seizing, either concretely or figuratively. Grasp suggests actually seizing and closing the hand upon something (or, figuratively, thoroughly comprehending something) and therefore refers to what is within one's possession or immediate possibility of possession: a good grasp of a problem; immense mental grasp. Reach suggests a stretching out of (usually) the hand to touch, strike, or, if possible, seize something; it therefore refers to a potentiality of possession that requires an effort. Figuratively, it implies perhaps a faint conception of something still too far beyond one to be definitely and clearly understood.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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graspernoun
-
regraspverb (used with object)
-
graspableadjective
-
grasplessadjective
-
ungraspableadjective
-
ungraspedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
graspsimple
-
graspssimple
-
have graspedperfect
-
has graspedperfect
-
am graspingprogressive
-
are graspingprogressive
-
is graspingprogressive
-
have been graspingperfect progressive
-
has been graspingperfect progressive
Past
-
graspedsimple
-
had graspedperfect
-
was graspingprogressive
-
were graspingprogressive
-
had been graspingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of grasp
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English graspen, grapsen; cognate with Low German grapsen; akin to Old English gegræppian “to seize” ( see grapple)
Explanation
To grasp is to get a hold of something, literally or figuratively. Grasp the grammar textbook with both hands and then read it to grasp the rules of the English language. It makes sense that the word grasp means understanding a concept since you are "getting a hold of an idea" just as you would grasp something tangible to hold. Grasp is good for when you're talking about comprehending the scale of something, or the full picture of a multi-faceted problem or idea. You might know that there is going to be a heat wave, but you may not grasp the idea of its relationship to global warming.
Vocabulary lists containing grasp
"Mending Wall," by Robert Frost
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Excerpt from "The Diary of Anne Frank"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He’s still trying to grasp who he is in this world and in relation to the real Asa.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Then if you add the manner in which England lost their grasp on a place in this final, it might seem difficult to find many reasons for positivity.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Joey, a 23-year-old barista and would-be poet, is too sweet and inexperienced to grasp that Chuck is using her as a rebound girlfriend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
In comparison, the Sparks, without an offensive rebound until the end of the third quarter, were forced to make perfect shots, though that was far from the team’s grasp.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
The fairy queen looked dazed as her hands struggled to free herself from the genie’s grasp, yet she wasn’t putting as much energy into it as she had been.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Rosi’s artistry grasps the limitations of being a long-term guest, visually juxtaposing the ancient and elemental, busts and people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
Although she grasps the issues that can arise with the product, she says, most of her life is pretty well documented anyway.
From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2026
Beijing grasps what many American policymakers miss: Alignment research accelerates AI capabilities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025
She also grasps that comedy reigns on the Internet.
From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2025
This stranger inches his hand over to mine and grasps it.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
Kingsley looks at me, gauging if I’ve grasped the heartbreak of the moment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
If you’ve ever fancied a gondola ride through Venice’s famous canals, now might be the time—many Americans have already grasped the opportunity this summer.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
To get solar panels because you’ve grasped the moral tragedy of climate change, not because your neighbor Larry’s roof looks kind of fab with them.
From Slate ● May 15, 2026
At Operation Warp Speed, Palantir’s Julie Bush grasped the project’s operational requirements and translated them into technical specifications that Palantir engineers could utilize.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
But, as Kuhn also grasped, the fact that even the best-established scientific theories may not endure does not mean that they are unreliable, and it does not mean that science does not progress.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
McAfee, not fully grasping why people would want to drink milk that was unpasteurized, nonetheless went to his silo, filled half-gallon containers and packed them in ice chests.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
He prays for her before each game, looking up to the sky while grasping his wife’s necklace, then kissing a ring that has her fingerprint tattooed on it.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
"I'm not sure we are grasping this rare opportunity with the gusto that's needed and I cannot keep waiting around for a crisis to push for faster progress," Phillips said.
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
Before Standard Oil became “the most gigantic, the most cruel, impudent, pitiless, and grasping monopoly which ever fastened upon a community,” it was a start-up.
From Barron's ● May 2, 2026
“Good man,” he says, grasping it firmly and clapping me on the shoulder with his other hand.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
