as in greedy
having or marked by an eager and often selfish desire especially for material possessions
a grasping person who would rather buy a car he didn't need than give a dime to charity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in understanding
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clasping
to put one's arms around and press tightly
the departing soldier grasped his children a little closer than usual
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in holding
to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms
the attendant grasped my arm and steered me towards the door
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in knowing
to have a clear idea of
the emergency operator finally grasped what he was trying to tell her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 grasping
Karl Ove Knausgaard, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
Engineers still struggle to replicate a grasping human hand, or the hand-eye coordination of a human brain.
—Natan Linder, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
The imperial Presidency: Designs on Greenland, promises to take back the Panama Canal, threats of tariffs on countries ranging from Colombia to Taiwan—how did a President who once pledged isolationism become so grasping?
—Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2025
Multiplied across numerous markets in every state, the LIHTC fuels more and more grasping for cash instead of reductions to make housing easier to create.
—Roger Valdez, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Unlike most other camp movies, this one isn’t about preserving and revering childhood, but the sloppy, grasping, wonderful transition to adulthood.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 May 2024
James Marcus, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Still, Valentini managed to rise as a fashion authority for her talent in grasping gaps in the market and putting new names on the radar of Italian customers.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
This passive multistable design also makes the finger safer, especially in applications like grasping objects in industrial automation, where simple, predictable mechanics can prevent accidents.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025
There are also cameras in each hand's palm to help with grasping tasks and the processor can handle large visual data flows in complex real-world surroundings.
—David Szondy
october 09, New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2025
The decision led to his being wiped during summer league, a good example of a player having his heart in the right place without fully grasping the consequences.
—Dan Woike, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Deputy Thomas Zajac, first on the scene, found Heskett kneeling in the grass near the park’s Old Mill Trail, grasping a pocketknife protruding from his abdomen.
—Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
New research published Thursday shows that octopuses have the ability to use any of their eight limbs to perform tasks like reaching, tiptoeing or grasping.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 14 Sep. 2025
What lies beneath the surface is hardly a starting point for grasping the breadth and enduring impact of each work.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
The father, Fyodor Karamazov, is a grasping, lecherous, deceitful, and shameless widower.
—Karl Ove Knausgaard, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
Engineers still struggle to replicate a grasping human hand, or the hand-eye coordination of a human brain.
—Natan Linder, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
The imperial Presidency: Designs on Greenland, promises to take back the Panama Canal, threats of tariffs on countries ranging from Colombia to Taiwan—how did a President who once pledged isolationism become so grasping?
—Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2025
Multiplied across numerous markets in every state, the LIHTC fuels more and more grasping for cash instead of reductions to make housing easier to create.
—Roger Valdez, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Unlike most other camp movies, this one isn’t about preserving and revering childhood, but the sloppy, grasping, wonderful transition to adulthood.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 May 2024
Verb
Friends and family will often counsel against making such a weighty decision in the midst of emotional turbulence, not grasping that a profound sense of misalignment is what is feeding the turbulence in the first place.
—James Marcus, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Still, Valentini managed to rise as a fashion authority for her talent in grasping gaps in the market and putting new names on the radar of Italian customers.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
This passive multistable design also makes the finger safer, especially in applications like grasping objects in industrial automation, where simple, predictable mechanics can prevent accidents.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025
There are also cameras in each hand's palm to help with grasping tasks and the processor can handle large visual data flows in complex real-world surroundings.
—David Szondy
october 09, New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2025
The decision led to his being wiped during summer league, a good example of a player having his heart in the right place without fully grasping the consequences.
—Dan Woike, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Deputy Thomas Zajac, first on the scene, found Heskett kneeling in the grass near the park’s Old Mill Trail, grasping a pocketknife protruding from his abdomen.
—Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
New research published Thursday shows that octopuses have the ability to use any of their eight limbs to perform tasks like reaching, tiptoeing or grasping.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 14 Sep. 2025
What lies beneath the surface is hardly a starting point for grasping the breadth and enduring impact of each work.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grasping
Adjective
-
But Septime Webre’s choreography is supposed to have the air of wild and sometimes frenzied social dancing, of Charlestons and Fox Trots and Black Bottoms, of indulging the glorious excesses of the 1920s before the greedier side of the American Dream comes crashing down a few years later.—
David Lyman,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Which is to say, this isn’t the story of a greedy, materialistic man who suffers a crisis of conscience while trying to pry a priceless treasure away from an uneducated hick who doesn’t know any better.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
By better understanding its environment, the robot can more effectively perceive and navigate the cluttered and complex interior of the reactor, avoiding obstacles and locating work areas.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The startup has built a unified real-time orchestration layer that manages all the different things the AI needs to do at once, such as listening, understanding what’s being said, deciding how to respond, checking databases, and delivering an answer.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Bend your elbow and reach for your right hand, clasping hands together in Cow Face arms.—
Riya Davda,
Outside,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Next page, clasping hands with Schweitzer in her satin, white wedding dress with a rose bouquet.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
So, for me, that was the creation of the Anti-American Speech Committee, which is a government panel essentially designed to prosecute artists for holding views or creating work that resists basically the fascist state that has overtaken the American government.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Witnesses shared video footage of an agent holding a man down and repeatedly hitting him in the head.—
NPR,
NPR,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Deputy Jaramillo’s legacy of integrity, compassion, and courage will continue to live on in the hearts of all who had the privilege of knowing and serving alongside him.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Imagine me at lunch or dinner breaks on that movie, sitting between the two of them—Peyton and Bradley—knowing little to nothing about football.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Legacy OEMs joined in on the action, as well, with debuts from McLaren and Rolls-Royce drawing crowds eager to get up close and personal or snap a selfie with the latest and greatest.—
Michael Van Runkle,
Robb Report,
4 Nov. 2025
-
While Williams has always kept her love life private, fans are eager to know more about the man who captured her heart.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Harbour and Brown arrived together on the red carpet for the premiere of the latest season and were captured on camera laughing, hugging each other and posing for photos.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Sweeney’s look played with proportions, with the leg-hugging footwear offsetting her oversized ensemble.—
Kelsey Stewart,
Footwear News,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The extra innings were gripping – the Dodgers left the bases loaded in the top of the 10th, the Blue Jays left the tying run on third in the bottom of the 11th.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Thin, black bezels surround the edges, while the left bezel thickens to provide a space for gripping the tablet.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grasping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grasping. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share