grasp
verb (used with object)
to seize and hold by or as if by clasping with the fingers or arms.
had been grasping
-
past perfect progressiveof grasp.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
When he held them up to his face he saw that they were scratched and bruised—and the veins were swollen as though he had been grasping hard at something for a long time.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Nok had been grasping for that light her whole life.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
It was while she sat there that the flower, which she had been grasping in her hand, suddenly withered.
From "The Girl Who Married a Lion: and Other Tales from Africa" by Alexander Mccall Smith
Perhaps the bony hand of its former owner had been grasping the precious cup and was drawn up along with it.
From Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 4 by Charles Herbert Sylvester
She stopped with a shudder, and held out a paper that she had been grasping; it was crumpled by the tightening of her fingers over it.
From The Bay State Monthly — Volume 2, No. 4, January, 1885 by Various
