grasp
Americanverb (used with object)
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grasps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
grasped,
past participle, past
-
grasping
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
grasps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
grasped,
past participle, past
-
grasping
present participle
noun
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grasps
plural
-
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
-
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 )
-
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
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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:
And does it mean - far more enticingly - he has his sights set on two more major tournaments and two more chances to grasp the prize that has eluded him at international level?
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
They want to pierce the heavens and reach through the atmosphere to grasp the indescribable truth that unites us all.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026
Few of us living in Southern California fully grasp the pivotal role the area has played in the history of flight and space travel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
He said the mourners "at first did not grasp what was happening".
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
Abby put her hands up and felt for something to grasp.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
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
Renee Weitzer, who spent over three decades working at Los Angeles City Hall, grasps onto the leg of a Mattel-designed Ken doll from LACMA’s collection.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 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
Six hundred feet of hungry air grasps at my legs.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
The secretary may have gone to Princeton University, but he hasn’t yet grasped the concept of irony.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
One influential figure predicts an array of grim economic consequences, unconvinced that Burnham and his team have grasped what might be coming down the track and planned accordingly.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
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
Emanuel grasped the potential of the diesel engine and secured its patent rights in Russia in 1898.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
She was feeling awfully smart when she grasped the scale and sat up, but she stopped when she saw her mother.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
It has the same horse-shaped head tilted down from the body, the same curled and grasping tail, and in the males a fully enclosed pouch for brooding the young.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
She often talks faster than I can listen, and listens faster than I can talk, grasping my meaning before I finish a sentence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Still grasping for the brass ring, still chasing the pot of gold.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
As children, we sense the edges of these silences without fully grasping them.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
Heavily disoriented, I staggered to my feet, grasping onto a bedpost to keep from falling.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
