grasped; grasping; grasps
: to make the motion of seizing : clutch
grasping for support
1
: to take or seize eagerly
grasp the opportunity for advancement
2
: to clasp or embrace especially with the fingers or arms
grasped the pen and began writing
3
: to lay hold of with the mind : comprehend
failed to grasp the danger of the situation
grasper
noun
3
a
: the reach of the arms
The books on the top shelf were beyond my grasp.
b
: the power of seizing and holding or attaining
success lay within their grasp
4
: mental hold or comprehension especially when broad
a remarkable grasp of the subject
Examples of grasp in a Sentence
Verb
I grasped the end of the rope and pulled as hard as I could.
I grasped the rope by its end.
His arthritis is so bad he can barely grasp a pencil.
Noun
The author shows a weak grasp of military strategy.
The books on the top shelf are just beyond my grasp.
She moved the toy to within the baby's grasp.
She felt the solution was within her grasp.
Recent Examples on the Web
Charlotte Hu, Scientific American, 27 Mar. 2025
Jack Blues is sweetly grasping his 31-year-old dad’s face in the frames — which appear to have been taken after bathtime — while lying on a white towel on a tiled floor.
—Clare Fisher, People.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Christian Lewis, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
At least one state public health official is worried that the sudden loss in funding will hurt their state’s grasp of the virus.
—Ross O'Keefe, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grasp
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Verb
This includes the emergence of theory of mind, the point at which children really start grasping the idea that other people have their own set of beliefs and representations of reality.
—Charlotte Hu, Scientific American, 27 Mar. 2025
Jack Blues is sweetly grasping his 31-year-old dad’s face in the frames — which appear to have been taken after bathtime — while lying on a white towel on a tiled floor.
—Clare Fisher, People.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Noun
Williams seems to have fundamentally misunderstood the novel, or at the very least to have only a diluted grasp of it.
—Christian Lewis, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
At least one state public health official is worried that the sudden loss in funding will hurt their state’s grasp of the virus.
—Ross O'Keefe, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grasp
Cite this Entry
“Grasp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grasp. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
grasp
1 of 2 verb1
: to make the motion of seizing : clutch
grasp at straws
2
: to clasp or embrace with or as if with the fingers or arms
3
: to lay hold of with the mind : comprehend
failed to grasp its importance
grasper
noun
grasp
2 of 2 noun1
2
: control entry 2 sense 1, hold
land in the grasp of a tyrant
3
a
: the reach of the arms
the tree limb was beyond my grasp
b
: the power of seizing and holding
success lies within their grasp
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