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Showing results for "grasping"
  • present participle of grasp.
Synonyms

grasping

American  
[gras-ping, grahs-] / ˈgræs pɪŋ, ˈgrɑs- /

adjective

  1. greedy; avaricious.

    a sly, grasping man.

    Synonyms:
    venal, acquisitive, selfish, covetous
  2. being used to grasp or tending to grasp; tenacious.


grasping British  
/ ˈɡrɑːspɪŋ /

adjective

  1. greedy; avaricious; rapacious

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of grasping

First recorded in 1540–50; grasp + -ing 2

Vocabulary lists containing grasping

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:

Brands grasping for attention may also miss a true shift as men go online to learn more about products like cologne than their fathers ever knew, he added.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 21, 2026

“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

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

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

Finally one of the grasping fingers of light snatched at the tiny, distant silhouette of a plane.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

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