grasp

 
Pronunciation: /grɑːsp/

verb

[with object]
  • seize and hold firmly: she grasped the bottle Edward grasped her by the wrist
  • take (an opportunity) eagerly: many companies grasped the opportunity to expand
  • comprehend fully: the press failed to grasp the significance of what had happened

noun

[in singular]
  • a firm hold or grip: the child slipped from her grasp
  • a person’s power or capacity to attain something: he knew success was within his grasp
  • a person’s understanding: meanings that are beyond my grasp his grasp of detail

Phrases

grasp at straws

see straw.

grasp the nettle

British tackle a difficulty boldly.
[because a nettle stings when touched lightly, but not when grasped firmly]

Derivatives

graspable

adjective

grasper

noun

Origin:

late Middle English: perhaps related to grope