grasp
verb (used with object)
to seize and hold by or as if by clasping with the fingers or arms.
were grasping
-
past progressiveof grasp.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
They were grasping at straws trying to keep me in the show, and it was lovely.
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2024
At the time, the nonprofit’s executives were grasping for resources to cover the expense of revitalizing and producing new episodes of the show beyond fees from longtime public broadcaster PBS.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2024
“We were grasping at straws looking for what we could do to get the economy going,” Peck recalls.
From Seattle Times ● May 2, 2021
But they were grasping and other leads had not worked out, and others had spectacularly fizzled.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 20, 2016
Their hands were clenched into fists or open like claws, as if they were grasping at something, and their faces were expressionless masks, their eyes glazed with frost, staring at nothing.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
