Definition of grasp verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

grasp

verb

/ɡrɑːsp/

/ɡræsp/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they grasp	/ɡrɑːsp/ /ɡræsp/
he / she / it grasps	/ɡrɑːsps/ /ɡræsps/
past simple grasped	/ɡrɑːspt/ /ɡræspt/
past participle grasped	/ɡrɑːspt/ /ɡræspt/
-ing form grasping	/ˈɡrɑːspɪŋ/ /ˈɡræspɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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grasp somebody/something to take a strong hold of somebody/something synonym grip
- He grasped my hand and shook it warmly.
- Kay grasped him by the wrist.
Synonyms hold
holdhold on ▪ cling ▪ clutch ▪ grip ▪ grasp ▪ clasp ▪ hang onThese words all mean to have somebody/something in your hands or arms.
hold to have somebody/something in your hand or arms:
She was holding a large box.
I held the baby gently in my arms.
hold on (to somebody/something) to continue to hold somebody/something; to put your hand on somebody/something and not take your hand away:
Hold on and don’t let go until I say so.
cling to hold on to somebody/something tightly, especially with your whole body:
Survivors clung to pieces of floating debris.
clutch to hold somebody/something tightly, especially in your hand; to take hold of something suddenly:
She stood there, the flowers still clutched in her hand.
He felt himself slipping and clutched at a branch.
grip to hold on to something very tightly with your hand:
Grip the rope as tightly as you can.
grasp to take a strong hold of somebody/something:
He grasped my hand and shook it warmly.
The object of grasp is often somebody’s hand or wrist.clasp (formal) to hold somebody/something tightly in your hand or in your arms:
They clasped hands (= held each other’s hands).
She clasped the children in her arms.
The object of clasp is often your hands, somebody else’s hand or another person.hang on (to something) to hold on to something very tightly, especially in order to support yourself or stop yourself from falling:
Hang on tight. We’re off!
Patterns
- to hold/clutch/grip/clasp something in your hand/hands
- to hold/clutch/clasp somebody/something in your arms
- to hold/clutch/grip/grasp/clasp/hang on to something
- to hold/cling/hang on
- to hold/clutch/clasp somebody/something to you
- to hold/hold on to/cling to/clutch/grip/grasp/clasp/hang on to somebody/something tightly
- to hold/hold on to/cling to/clutch/grip/grasp/clasp somebody/something firmly
- to hold/hold on to/clutch/grip/clasp/hang on to somebody/something tight
Extra Examples
- Her hands were grasping at his coat.
- She grasped him tightly by the wrist.
- She grasped hold of the banister to support herself.
- He grasped the pan by its handle.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- firmly
- tightly
preposition
- at
- by
phrases
- grasp hold of somebody/something
See full entry
to understand something completely
- grasp something They failed to grasp the importance of his words.
- grasp how, why, etc… She was unable to grasp how to do it.
- grasp that… It took him some time to grasp that he was now a public figure.
Synonyms understand
understandsee ▪ get ▪ follow ▪ grasp ▪ comprehendThese words all mean to know or realize something, for example why something happens, how something works or what something means.
understand to know or realize the meaning of words, a language, what somebody says, etc.; to know or realize how or why something happens, how it works or why it is important:
I don’t understand the instructions.
Doctors still don’t understand much about the disease.
see to understand what is happening, what somebody is saying, how something works or how important something is:
‘It opens like this.’ ‘Oh, I see.’
Oh yes, I see what you mean.
get (informal) to understand a joke, what somebody is trying to tell you, or a situation that they are trying to describe:
She didn’t get the joke.
I don’t get you.
follow to understand an explanation, a story or the meaning of something:
Sorry—I don’t quite follow.
The plot is almost impossible to follow.
grasp to come to understand a fact, an idea or how to do something:
They failed to grasp the importance of his words.
understand or grasp?You can use understand or grasp for the action of realizing the meaning or importance of something for the first time: It’s a difficult concept for children to understand/grasp. Only understand can be used to talk about languages, words or writing: I don’t grasp French/the instructions.
comprehend (often used in negative statements) (formal) to understand a fact, idea or reason:
The concept of infinity is almost impossible for the human mind to comprehend.
Patterns
- to understand/see/get/follow/grasp/comprehend what/why/how…
- to understand/see/grasp/comprehend that…
- to understand/see/get/grasp the point/idea (of something)
- to be easy/difficult/hard to understand/see/follow/grasp/comprehend
- to fully understand/see/grasp/comprehend something
Extra Examples
- It's a difficult concept for children to understand/grasp.
- By this time, engineers had grasped the basic principles of aerodynamics.
- a means by which students can more easily grasp the basics of science
- Some of these concepts are very difficult to grasp.
- She failed to grasp the significance of these facts.
- I hadn't really grasped what they were talking about.
- He was quick to grasp the basic principles.
- He had not fully grasped the fact that he was the one who would pay for all this.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- fully
- not quite
- not really
- …
verb + grasp
- try to
- be unable to
- fail to
- …
See full entry
grasp a chance/an opportunity to take an opportunity without hesitating and use it
- I grasped the opportunity to work abroad.

Word Originlate Middle English: perhaps related to grope.

Idioms

clutch/grasp at straws

to try all possible means to find a solution or some hope in a difficult or unpleasant situation, even though this seems very unlikely
- I know I’m just clutching at straws here, but is it possible that the doctors are wrong?

grasp the nettle

(British English) to deal with a difficult situation without hesitating
- The government now has the opportunity to grasp the nettle of prison reform.

See grasp in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee grasp in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

Check pronunciation: grasp

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Phrasal verbs

grasp at something

Idioms

clutch/grasp at straws

Nearby words

given

adjective

From the Word list

OPAL spoken words

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