grasp at
phrasal verb
grasped at; grasping at; grasps at
: to try to take or get (something) in an eager or desperate way
They were ready to grasp at any possible solution.
He grasped at the opportunity to speak with her.
Examples of grasp at in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The functionality is a little hard to grasp at first, which is probably why TextExpander forces you through a tutorial.
—
PCMAG, 16 May 2024
With Alcala in the wind, former Detective Steve Hodel was grasping at thin air.
—Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 14 May 2024
This represents to me a full circle of dedication to a craft (acting, in this case), grasping at the highest moment and then restarting the process again.
—Michael Slenske, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024
There's also a creepy rocking cradle, a bird's egg falling from a tree top and shattering, and long fingers grasping at a pregnant belly.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 25 Aug. 2023
But a last-act grasp at profundity in Ruth Greenberg’s screenplay feels unearned.
—Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2024
Or the time her son grasped at her hand and was puzzled to find only an empty sleeve.
—Safak Timur Emin Ozmen, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2024
And the third act hits you like a third martini: You are dragged along on the potent tide, buoyed by memories of former rationality, grasping at understanding.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 3 Jan. 2024
That’s one of the first lessons in poker, and an important concept to grasp at work, too.
—Kayla Webster, WSJ, 25 Dec. 2023
PCMAG, 16 May 2024
With Alcala in the wind, former Detective Steve Hodel was grasping at thin air.
—Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 14 May 2024
This represents to me a full circle of dedication to a craft (acting, in this case), grasping at the highest moment and then restarting the process again.
—Michael Slenske, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024
There's also a creepy rocking cradle, a bird's egg falling from a tree top and shattering, and long fingers grasping at a pregnant belly.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 25 Aug. 2023
But a last-act grasp at profundity in Ruth Greenberg’s screenplay feels unearned.
—Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2024
Or the time her son grasped at her hand and was puzzled to find only an empty sleeve.
—Safak Timur Emin Ozmen, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2024
And the third act hits you like a third martini: You are dragged along on the potent tide, buoyed by memories of former rationality, grasping at understanding.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 3 Jan. 2024
That’s one of the first lessons in poker, and an important concept to grasp at work, too.
—Kayla Webster, WSJ, 25 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grasp at.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near grasp at
Cite this Entry
“Grasp at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grasp%20at. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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