Library / English Dictionary

GRASP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of grasping

Example:

she kept a firm hold on the railing

Synonyms:

clasp; clench; clutch; clutches; grasp; grip; hold

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("grasp" is a kind of...):

grasping; prehension; seizing; taking hold (the act of gripping something firmly with the hands (or the tentacles))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "grasp"):

choke hold; chokehold (a restraining hold; someone loops the arm around the neck of another person in a tight grip, usually from behind)

embrace; embracement; embracing (the act of clasping another person in the arms (as in greeting or affection))

wrestling hold (a hold used in the sport of wrestling)

Derivation:

grasp (hold firmly)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An intellectual hold or understanding

Example:

a terrible power had her in its grasp

Synonyms:

grasp; grip

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("grasp" is a kind of...):

influence (a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "grasp"):

tentacle (something that acts like a tentacle in its ability to grasp and hold)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The limit of capability

Example:

within the compass of education

Synonyms:

compass; grasp; range; reach

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("grasp" is a kind of...):

capability; capableness; potentiality (an aptitude that may be developed)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "grasp"):

ken; sight (the range of vision)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something

Example:

he has a good grasp of accounting practices

Synonyms:

appreciation; grasp; hold

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("grasp" is a kind of...):

apprehension; discernment; savvy; understanding (the cognitive condition of someone who understands)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "grasp"):

sense (a natural appreciation or ability)

Derivation:

grasp (get the meaning of something)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Get the meaning of something

Example:

Do you comprehend the meaning of this letter?

Synonyms:

apprehend; compass; comprehend; dig; get the picture; grasp; grok; savvy

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Hypernyms (to "grasp" is one way to...):

understand (know and comprehend the nature or meaning of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "grasp"):

figure (understand)

catch on; cotton on; get it; get onto; get wise; latch on; tumble; twig (understand, usually after some initial difficulty)

intuit (know or grasp by intuition or feeling)

digest (arrange and integrate in the mind)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sentence examples:

They won't grasp the story

Sam and Sue grasp the movie

Derivation:

grasp (understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something)

grasping (understanding with difficulty)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Hold firmly

Synonyms:

grasp; hold on

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "grasp" is one way to...):

hold; take hold (have or hold in one's hands or grip)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "grasp"):

latch on (take hold of or attach to)

cling; hang (hold on tightly or tenaciously)

clasp (hold firmly and tightly)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

grasp (the act of grasping)

grasping (the act of gripping something firmly with the hands (or the tentacles))

Credits

 Context examples: 

And he took my hand in his large firm grasp.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

I have murdered the lovely and the helpless; I have strangled the innocent as they slept and grasped to death his throat who never injured me or any other living thing.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

There is a thread here which we had not yet grasped and which might lead us through the tangle.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

His grasp relaxed, his feet slipped, and in an instant he was a crushed and mangled corpse upon the sharp ridges beneath him.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

An involuntary, primal response in the neonate to grasp the fingers when their palm is touched.

(Grasp Reflex, NCI Thesaurus)

You use your fingers and thumbs to do everything from grasping objects to playing musical instruments to typing.

(Finger Injuries and Disorders, NIH)

As they worsen, grasping objects can become difficult.

(Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

The participants practiced grasping and moving a handgrip while receiving varying levels of electrical pulses from the devices.

(Spinal cord stimulation helps paralyzed people move hands, NIH)

The ability to hold or grasp.

(Grip, NCI Thesaurus)

Useful in assessing neonatal neuromuscular development, this is obtained when the infant is placed in a supine position and the infant's feet are grasped pulled toward the ipsilateral ears.

(Heel to Ear Measurement, NCI Thesaurus)