grasp
Americanverb (used with object)
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grasps,
present (3rd person singular)
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grasped,
past participle, past
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grasping
present participle
verb (used without object)
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grasps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
grasped,
past participle, past
-
grasping
present participle
noun
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grasps
plural
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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.
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one's power of seizing and holding; reach.
to have a thing within one's grasp.
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hold, possession, or mastery.
to wrest power from the grasp of a usurper.
- Synonyms:
- clutches
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mental hold or capacity; power to understand.
- Synonyms:
- comprehension, apprehension, understanding
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broad or thorough comprehension.
a good grasp of computer programming.
verb
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to grip (something) firmly with or as if with the hands
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to struggle, snatch, or grope (for)
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(tr) to understand, esp with effort
noun
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the act of grasping
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a grip or clasp, as of a hand
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the capacity to accomplish (esp in the phrase within one's grasp )
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total rule or possession
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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
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regraspverb (used with object)
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graspableadjective
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grasplessadjective
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ungraspableadjective
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ungraspedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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graspsimple
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graspssimple
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have graspedperfect
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has graspedperfect
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am graspingprogressive
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are graspingprogressive
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is graspingprogressive
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have been graspingperfect progressive
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has been graspingperfect progressive
Past
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graspedsimple
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had graspedperfect
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was graspingprogressive
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were graspingprogressive
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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:
No other view is so dramatic, or so lucid, for as soon as you see the image you grasp the essential logic of the house: a structure at one with nature.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Sanchez, who has been Chelsea's first-choice goalkeeper since 2023, allowed Josh King's shot to slip through his grasp at the near post.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
The idea is that if the markets have a firm grasp of the Fed’s game plan, then they could react to the data.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Cinematographer Brendan Galvin and editors David Rosenbloom and Joe Rosenbloom take us inside the bodyguard’s POV as he notes each pen click, pocket grasp and suspicious glance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
When Nixon came in, Kissinger launched into a lecture about how the president didn’t seem to grasp the danger of allowing top secret documents to be leaked to the press.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
His left hand gently grasps a ceremonial sword while his extended right hand is open and welcoming, rather than pointed and dictatorial.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 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
She also grasps that comedy reigns on the Internet.
From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2025
And in spotlighting grandfather Noam Tibon’s self-appointed mission to reach his loved ones, Avrich grasps that too, offering up “The Road Between Us” as an immersive action-thriller.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025
She doesn't have her cane, and she grasps the armrest to balance herself against the sofa.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
The road to recovery is long, and some patients "still haven't really grasped the magnitude of what happened to them," Bianca Damaso, a physician specializing in prosthetics, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
They lit candles, grasped rosaries and passed out poster boards and N-95 masks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
The children had encountered the “-le” syllable the past school year, but were repeating the lesson to make sure they grasped it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
"You talk about pressure but they grasped at it, they enjoyed it. They probably shocked the world with that performance."
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Reaching up behind himself, the mouse felt around until he grasped the sparrow’s leg.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
“Higher capacity is required for complex transactions like contracts, which require not just grasping the immediate exchange, but also comprehending finer details, consequences and the broader context.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Now, as growth flatlines, a desperate government is grasping for ideas to get the economy going again, including opening up retail across the whole week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Or "who is your team at the Cup?" without grasping it's the World Cup.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
One reason for the fascination with Musk’s status as a “trillionaire” may be the very human difficulty of grasping such a big number.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Then, on a soft summer evening, I stood next to Bud, grasping the reins while Shawn held the halter steady, and stepped into the saddle.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
