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

Despite being a nonpartisan race, the Badger State contest served as a national proxy battle for Democratic officials and progressive groups, who are grasping at any glimmer of hope amid Trump 2.0's dominance in Washington that has expanded to other parts of the country and culture. —Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2025

Multiplicity occasionally, almost accidentally, grasps at profundities about work-life balance that Severance would explore using a more innovative sci-fi premise decades later. —James Grebey, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025

Now Moore is proactively blaming President Donald Trump, grasping at straws to deflect the blame. —John Teichert, Baltimore Sun, 3 Mar. 2025

After June has taken off with one of her newsboys, Rose, grasping at any scrap of opportunity, forces Louise, who has so far been awkward and reticent, into stripping. —Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2024

Rhymes for grasp at

• begat
• bobcat
• chitchat
• doormat
• ducat
• eclat
• format
• hazmat
• muskrat
• nonfat
• polecat
• thereat