grasp
grasp
Definition
grasp (grasp, gräsp)
transitive verb
- to take hold of firmly with or as with the hand or arms; grip
- to take hold of eagerly or greedily; seize
- to take hold of mentally; understand; comprehend
Etymology: ME graspen, by metathesis < *grapsen, prob. < MLowG (as in LowG, Fris grapsen), akin to Norw dial. grapsa, to scratch, ON grapa, to snatch: see grab
intransitive verb
- to reach for and try to seize: with at
- to accept eagerly: with at
noun
- the act of grasping; grip or clasp of the hand or arms
- a firm hold; control; possession
- the power to hold or seize; reach
- power of understanding; comprehension
grasp′·able adjective
grasp′er noun
grasp
Synonyms
grasp
v.
grasp
Synonyms
grasp
Usage Examples
Object
- nettle: Senior Labor politicians are saying we should grasp the taxation nettle to help our public services.
- concept: We will support your efforts to grasp the concepts.
- significance: No need to grasp beforehand the significance of the whole.
- hand-hold: Whoever rejects evil and believes in God has indeed grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks.
- meaning: Today we have barely begun to grasp the meaning of the words.
- truth: By our own understanding we would never grasp this truth.
Converse of object
- demonstrate: You should demonstrate a clear grasp of the budgetary implications of the project.
Preposition: at
- straw: It wasn't much, but drowning men grasp at straws and this was the first straw in 3 1/2 years.
Adjective modifier
- tenuous: Children sometimes have a tenuous grasp of where food comes from, for example the belief that ' chips come from London ' .
- rudimentary: At that time, the CPI consisted of barely a few dozen cadres with only a rudimentary grasp of Marxism and Bolshevik functioning.
- intuitive: Unlike the experts, most people have an intuitive grasp of the social meaning of genetics.
- thorough: He is on very solid ground, his thorough grasp of historical theology having already been ably demonstrated in earlier writings.
- instinctive: Tony Blair's instinctive grasp of these class interests underlies his zealous advocacy of US imperialism.
- shaky: Such an assumption belies a shaky grasp of what genes actually do.
Noun used with modifier
- firm: A second PDS is placed in the same manner to achieve a firm grasp of the CA ligament.
Used with why or when
- what: I didn't fully grasp what she was talking about.
Preposition: of
- grammar: A basic grasp of grammar is all that is necessary for your course.
- reality: People will start to question our grasp of reality, or think we are being deliberately obtuse.
- concept: In fact, I doubt that you would ever be able to get a fundamental grasp of such concepts.
- math: The course depends heavily on detailed mathematical calculation and students without a good grasp of basic maths will find that they struggle.
grasp Quotes
Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?
Browse dictionary entries near grasp
- GRAS
- grapy
- grapple
- grappa
- grapnel
- -graphy
- graphology
- grapho-
- graphitize
- graphite
- grasping
- grass
- grass carp
- grass cloth
- grass roots
- grass snake
- grass tree
- grass widow
- grass widower
- grasshopper
