grasped

past tense of grasp
1
as in understood
to have a practical understanding of he just doesn't grasp how important it is that he call when he'll be late

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
4

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of grasped Iowa saw improvement, too, once Gronowski grasped the nuance of the offense around the midpoint of the season. Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 24 July 2026 Perhaps the problem of art in the time of climate change is not that its subjects are too immense to be grasped. Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026 All-Rounder Top-Handle Top-handle bags bring an entirely different vibe to the act of carrying a bag, since they can only be grasped with one hand or slipped into the crook of an arm. Alice Cary, Vogue, 13 July 2026 Zverev grasped his knee in apparent discomfort and Sinner went around the net and helped his opponent up off the grass. Andrew Dampf, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026 To improve reliability during use, the system also incorporates motion sensors that detect transport movements after an object has been grasped. Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 7 July 2026 In second grade, Hung completed a yearlong math class in three months and grasped pre-algebra in third grade, said Choi, a longtime tutor who began teaching her son during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 29 June 2026 The drive to define the face as a data point, something to be grasped and controlled, underpins the bureaucracy of the modern nation-state, in which faces are surveyed, categorized, and stored in digital banks. Cal Revely-Calder, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 Advertisement Greenspan grasped, perhaps better than anyone, that the distance between the community economy and the global one is not fixed and that financial literacy—understanding how money works, how credit works, how wealth is built—is the civil rights issue of this generation. John Hope Bryant, Time, 23 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grasped
Verb
  • Thomas Jefferson, that most infuriatingly complex of our nation’s founders, understood this.
    Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 26 July 2026
  • Manufacturers often continue specifying virgin materials because their performance is well understood, while comparable data for recycled alternatives remain limited.
    Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 26 July 2026
Verb
  • The winners jumped from their seats and hugged as confetti poured around them.
    Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 30 July 2026
  • Saldaña, shimmering in Cartier, mingled with costars and hugged fans and friends, giving Kidman an especially tight squeeze.
    Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 30 July 2026
Verb
  • The rapper, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, has been held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center since he was arrested in September 2024.
    Daniel S. Levine, People.com, 6 Aug. 2025
  • That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.
    Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 6 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • However, if the judge doesn’t lean their way, LCDS argued that victims still can’t argue that the school knew the images existed or intentionally helped facilitate their spread, which the school thinks should be fatal.
    Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026
  • During that time, Welch knew the woman and her daughter had expired tourist visas but faked a variety of records to convince them otherwise.
    Jonathan J. Cooper, Fortune, 31 July 2026
Verb
  • Hathaway clasped her hands over her face as Goldberg spoke, and eventually lowered her head to cry.
    Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 20 July 2026
  • But here was Bobby, sitting at Jackie’s bedside, perhaps looking at the ground, one wrist clasped in his hand.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
Verb
  • In England, where half the country is gripped by drought, firefighters battled a wildfire on an east coast heath in Suffolk, near a nuclear power station that fire services said wasn’t threatened.
    Mark Carlson, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026
  • Blazes in touristic Mugla and Antalya and elsewhere raged overnight as hot weather and strong winds gripped the region.
    CBS News, CBS News, 30 July 2026
Verb
  • The frames keep changing regardless of how much the viewer has noticed or comprehended.
    Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • The company expects a little more of an impact in its Q2, but Cook said it’s fully comprehended in the above Street outlook of 48% to 49%.
    Jeff Marks, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Down to 10 men, fighting altitude and fervent home support, the Three Lions somehow clung on against the co-host to reach the quarterfinals.
    Ben Church, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • On this day, four guests — clad in masks, snorkels, flippers, and dressed in all black to reduce the risk of being confused for a fish by the sharks — clung onto a safety line and watched as the silky sharks encircled them.
    Kate Waxman, Sun Sentinel, 19 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grasped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grasped. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on grasped

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!