grab at/for
phrasal verb
grabbed at/for; grabbing at/for; grabs at/for
: to quickly stretch out one's hand and try to touch or hold (something or someone)
People were grabbing at her as she walked through the crowd.
He grabbed for the ball and missed.
—often used figurativelyWe grabbed at the chance to go.
political parties grabbing for power
Examples of grab at/for in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The ball sank at 105 mph and only had a 30% catch probability, but Bellinger came in for a shoestring grab at the last possible second.
—
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 7 July 2025
Cousins appears to grab at the fan, who then splashes a drink towards Cousins.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 12 June 2025
On night two, the soon-to-be-retiring John Cena made one final grab for the WWE Title against Cody Rhodes, with both men finding a strained relationship with the audience (though not all of the ire is on purpose).
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
Check your local store Have last-minute groceries to grab for a holiday cookout?
—Mariyam Muhammad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for grab at/for
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Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 7 July 2025
Cousins appears to grab at the fan, who then splashes a drink towards Cousins.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 12 June 2025
On night two, the soon-to-be-retiring John Cena made one final grab for the WWE Title against Cody Rhodes, with both men finding a strained relationship with the audience (though not all of the ire is on purpose).
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
Check your local store Have last-minute groceries to grab for a holiday cookout?
—Mariyam Muhammad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for grab at/for
Cite this Entry
“Grab at/for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grab%20at%2Ffor. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.
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