grasp for

phrasal verb

grasped for; grasping for; grasps for

: to try in a desperate or awkward way to get (something)

His sudden decision to quit the race has left his supporters grasping for explanations.

grasping for attention

Examples of grasp for in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

It's all told from the vantage point of a woman trying to make sense of her life in the face of devastation, sometimes grasping for signs that only hindsight can uncover. —Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026

Christie and Michael McIntire were grasping for anything in the San Gabriel Valley and coming up short. —Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2026

In New Hampshire, middle schoolers use generative tools to strip the clothes off their classmates in digital photographs, leaving the community grasping for a policy response. —Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 17 Feb. 2026

But Layton’s attention to detail, mood and character development establish him as a first-class screenwriter and director, showing the style and vision of a Michael Mann and the grasp for dialogue and character like a Quentin Tarantino or Sydney Pollack. —Randy Myers, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for grasp for

• abhor
• abor
• adore
• afore
• ardour
• ashore
• backdoor
• before
• bookstore
• candour
• centaur
• claymore