1
general::
grasp at sth
OBJECT
2. to try to hold or touch something
• She grasped at his shirt as he ran past., grasp at sth
OPPORTUNITY
1. to try to take an opportunity
• Certainly if the job were offered me I'd grasp at the chance.
Cambridge-Phrasal Verbs
4
general::
noun holding sth ADJ. firm, strong She felt a firm grasp on her hand. VERB + GRASP slip from As she jumped forward, the ball slipped from her grasp. | prise sth from, rip sth from, snatch sth from, wrench sth from, wrest sth from She wrenched the bottle from his grasp. PREP. beyond your ~ The key was on a high shelf, just beyond her grasp. | in your ~ He kept the letter firmly in his grasp. | from sb's ~ The robber tried to free the case from her grasp. | out of sb's ~ She kicked the gun out of his grasp. | within (your) ~ (often figurative) Just when victory seemed within grasp, the referee blew his whistle. understanding ADJ. fine, firm, good, impressive, proper, sound | limited, poor | intellectual The task was beyond the intellectual grasp of some of the students. | intuitive We have no intuitive grasp of the immensity of time. VERB + GRASP have | get Working with native speakers helped me get a good grasp of the language. PREP. beyond your ~ These ideas are all beyond his grasp. | within your ~ | ~ of a poor grasp of mathematics, verb take hold of sb/sth suddenly and firmly ADV. firmly, tightly PREP. at Her hands were grasping at his coat. | by She grasped him tightly by the wrist. PHRASES grasp hold of sb/sth She grasped hold of the banister to support herself. understand sth ADV. fully He had not fully grasped the fact that he was the one who would pay for all this. | not really I hadn't really grasped what they were talking about. | quickly | easily, readily a means by which students can more easily grasp the basics of science VERB + GRASP try to | be unable to, fail to She failed to grasp the significance of these facts. | quick to He was quick to grasp the basic principles. | be difficult to, be hard to Some of these concepts are very difficult to grasp.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary