grasp

See also: GRASP

English

Etymology

From Middle English graspen, grapsen, craspen (“to grope; feel around”), probably from Old English grǣpsan (“to touch, feel”), from Proto-Germanic *graipisōną. Cognate with German Low German grapsen (“to grab; grasp”), Saterland Frisian Grapse (“double handful”). Compare also Swedish krafsa (“to scatch; scabble”), Norwegian krafse (“to scramble”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɡɹɑːsp/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɡɹæsp/

• audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

grasp (third-person singular simple present grasps, present participle grasping, simple past and past participle grasped)

1. To grip; to take hold, particularly with the hand.
3. To understand.

   I have never been able to grasp the concept of infinity.

4. To take advantage of something, to seize, to jump at a chance.

Synonyms

• (grip): clasp, grip, hold tight; See also Thesaurus:grasp
• (understand): comprehend, fathom
• (take advantage): jump at the chance, jump on

Derived terms

• begrasp
• foregrasp
• grasp the nettle

Related terms

• grapple

 

Translations

to grasp — see hold

to grip

• Armenian: կառչել (hy) (kaṙčʿel)
• Bulgarian: хващам (bg) (hvaštam), улавям (bg) (ulavjam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 把握 (zh) (bǎwò), 握 (zh) (wò), 抓住 (zh) (zhuāzhù), 抓 (zh) (zhuā)

• Czech: stisknout, uchopit
• Danish: gribe
• Dutch: grijpen (nl), vastpakken (nl)
• Finnish: tarttua (fi), puristaa (fi)
• French: saisir (fr), agripper (fr)
• German: greifen (de), erfassen (de)
• Greek: αδράχνω (el) (adráchno), αρπάζω (el) (arpázo), πιάνω (el) (piáno)
• Italian: afferrare (it), avvinghiare (it), avvinghiarsi, agguantare (it)
• Japanese: 掴む (ja) (つかむ, tsukamu)
• Latin: teneo (la), sumo (la)

• Maori: mamau, nanao, rarau, aurara, roromi, romi, rarawhi, rawhi, rawhirawhi, whakatāmau
• Norman: gaffer (Jersey)
• Polish: trzymać (pl), chwytać (pl)
• Portuguese: agarrar (pt)
• Quechua: hap'iy, chariy
• Russian: хвата́ть (ru) impf (xvatátʹ), схва́тывать (ru) impf (sxvátyvatʹ), схвати́ть (ru) pf (sxvatítʹ)
• Sicilian: affirrari (scn)
• Spanish: agarrar (es), asir (es)
• Swedish: fatta (sv), gripa (sv), greppa (sv)
• Telugu: పట్టుకొను (te) (paṭṭukonu)
• Turkish: kavramak (tr)
• Volapük: gleipön (vo)
• Westrobothnian: naamm

to understand

• Bulgarian: схващам (bg) (shvaštam), осъзнавам (bg) (osǎznavam)
• Catalan: comprendre (ca)
• Czech: pochopit (cs)
• Danish: begribe
• Dutch: begrijpen (nl), snappen (nl)
• Esperanto: kompreni
• Finnish: tajuta (fi), käsittää (fi)
• French: comprendre (fr), saisir (fr)
• German: begreifen (de), verstehen (de), erfassen (de)
• Greek: πιάνω (el) (piáno), κατανοώ (el) (katanoó)
• Hungarian: felfog (hu), átérez (hu)
• Italian: afferrare (it), capire (it), comprendere (it)

• Japanese: 分かる (ja) (wakaru)
• Latin: teneo (la)
• Norwegian: begripe (no)
• Polish: rozumieć (pl), pojmować (pl)
• Portuguese: entender (pt), compreender (pt)
• Russian: понима́ть (ru) impf (ponimátʹ), поня́ть (ru) pf (ponjátʹ), схвати́ть (ru) pf (sxvatítʹ), усваивать (ru) impf (usvaivatʹ)
• Spanish: comprender (es)
• Swedish: begripa (sv), fatta (sv)
• Telugu: గ్రహించు (te) (grahiñcu), ఆకళింపు చేసుకొను (ākaḷimpu cēsukonu)
• Turkish: kavramak (tr)
• Westrobothnian: hofwes

to take advantage of a situation or of something

• Greek: δράττομαι (el) (dráttomai), αρπάζω (el) (arpázo)

• Maori: haohao, hao

Noun

grasp (plural grasps)

1. (sometimes figuratively) Grip.
   • 1914, Louis Joseph Vance, chapter III, in Nobody, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, published 1915, OCLC 40817384:

     Turning back, then, toward the basement staircase, she began to grope her way through blinding darkness, but had taken only a few uncertain steps when, of a sudden, she stopped short and for a little stood like a stricken thing, quite motionless save that she quaked to her very marrow in the grasp of a great and enervating fear.

   • 1980, Robert M. Jones, editor, Walls and Ceilings, Time-Life Books, →ISBN, page 44:

     If a mirror does slip from your grasp, do not attempt to catch it. Just get out of the way.

3. Understanding.
4. That which is accessible; that which is within one's reach or ability.

   The goal is within my grasp.

Translations

grip

• Arabic: قَبْضَة‎ f (qabḍa)
• Bulgarian: хващане (bg) n (hvaštane), хватка (bg) f (hvatka)
• Czech: uchopení, sevření
• Dutch: grip (nl) m
• Finnish: ote (fi)
• German: Griff (de) m
• Greek: άδραγμα (el) n (ádragma), λαβή (el) f (laví)

• Hebrew: לפיתה‎ f
• Italian: presa (it) f, stretta (it) f
• Polish: uchwyt (pl) m
• Scottish Gaelic: glacadh m
• Spanish: asimiento m
• Swedish: grepp (sv)

understanding

• Bulgarian: разбиране (bg) n (razbirane), схватливост (bg) f (shvatlivost)
• Czech: porozumění
• Dutch: begrip (nl) n
• Finnish: käsitys (fi), ymmärrys (fi), taju (fi)
• German: Verständnis (de) n
• Greek: κατανόηση (el) f (katanóisi), αντίληψη (el) f (antílipsi)
• Hebrew: תפיסה‎ f, הבנה‎ (he) f

• Italian: comprensione (it) f, padronanza (it) f
• Polish: rozumienie (pl), zrozumienie (pl), pojęcie (pl)
• Portuguese: compreensão (pt) f
• Russian: усвое́ние (ru) n (usvojénije), обуча́емость (ru) f (obučájemostʹ)
• Spanish: comprensión (es) f
• Swedish: begrepp (sv), förståelse (sv) c

that which is accessible

• Finnish: käsillä, käsissä (idiomatic)
• Greek: προσιτός (el) m (prositós)
• Italian: a portata di mano (it) (within one's grasp)

• Portuguese: alcance (pt) m
• Swedish: räckhåll (sv) n, grepp (sv) n

Anagrams

• ARPGs, sprag