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.
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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:
At a time when Americans’ grasp of personal-finance concepts is on the decline and many students don’t receive training in financial literacy in school, providing support “doesn’t require writing a check,” he added.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
"At that time I must admit I didn't grasp the severity of the situation. I was hopeful that I could complete my work," Uttam said.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
The allegations detailed by the Anthropic report come amid a nationwide debate on whether policymakers fully grasp the threats and changes that AI poses to national security in the coming decades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
“But to be here in the Getty with my photographs, I don’t think he could grasp that.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
“Whatever,” Jonah said, jerking his arm away from Katherine’s grasp.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Instead, he’s looking for someone who grasps the findings of a workpaper with the assistance of AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 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
But already, with this first move, Moscow has shown that it grasps the depth of local frustrations.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2025
This stranger inches his hand over to mine and grasps it.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
Unseeded Michelsen came into the match in fine form, having not dropped a set at the tournament prior to facing Tiafoe, and grasped the momentum in the first set.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 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
He said the market already grasped his approach and pointed to falling volatility, lower Treasury yields and expectations that inflation would decline over the coming year or two as early evidence his strategy is succeeding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
As Ryan walked to the front of the room, he reached into his pocket, grasped Ralph by the tail, and dragged him, clawing and struggling, out of the pocket.
From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary
As children, we sense the edges of these silences without fully grasping them.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
The Emmy Award-winning HBO comedy “Hacks” debuted nearly a decade after “Girls,” and it was still centered around a struggling creative grasping for whatever work she could find.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
A desperate government is grasping for ideas to get the engine going again.
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
Abel had never enjoyed shaking hands with his frog friends, but he enjoyed grasping Gower’s.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
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.
