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
Related Words
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
- graspable adjective
- grasper noun
- graspless adjective
- regrasp verb (used with object)
- ungraspable adjective
- ungrasped adjective
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” ( grapple )
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.
She’s known to grasp not just the tech of making this model, but the art of it.
Jackson says students clearly grasped the power of compound growth over time that he discussed in class.
Crew members say they were struck by her sharp grasp of emotion, angles and movement.
From BBC
To grasp their potential implications, it is helpful to understand something about their architecture.
She escaped his grasp in the nick of time.
From Literature
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.
