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 federal government officially entered a shutdown at midnight on Wednesday after congressional leaders were unable to reach a deal on a stopgap spending bill, leaving lawmakers grasping at straws over how to break the impasse.
—
Al Weaver, The Hill, 1 Oct. 2025
Harris appeared to be grasping at his leg.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
Nosrat grasped at the invitation like a lifeline.
—Dan Kois, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2025
Her left hand is scrabbling over the surface of the thin soil, grasping at dead leaves, something to wipe herself.
—Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grasp at
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Al Weaver, The Hill, 1 Oct. 2025
Harris appeared to be grasping at his leg.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
Nosrat grasped at the invitation like a lifeline.
—Dan Kois, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2025
Her left hand is scrabbling over the surface of the thin soil, grasping at dead leaves, something to wipe herself.
—Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grasp at
Cite this Entry
“Grasp at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grasp%20at. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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