How to Use grasp at in a Sentence

grasp at

phrasal verb

• Or the time her son grasped at her hand and was puzzled to find only an empty sleeve.
  — Safak Timur Emin Ozmen, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2024
• That’s one of the first lessons in poker, and an important concept to grasp at work, too.
  — Kayla Webster, WSJ, 25 Dec. 2023
• Between scenes, the stage shifts back and forth on a turntable, like the house is trying to move, while the trees above its roof seem to grasp at the characters.
  — Vulture, 6 June 2023
• For the former president, the meeting proved that Putin is struggling in the war and grasping at straws for support.
  — Alex Hulvalchick, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023
• With Alcala in the wind, former Detective Steve Hodel was grasping at thin air.
  — Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 14 May 2024
• Hard-liners might have lost all trust in McCarthy, but the speaker is also grasping at ways to forge a path forward.
  — David Sivak, Washington Examiner, 6 June 2023
• This represents to me a full circle of dedication to a craft (acting, in this case), grasping at the highest moment and then restarting the process again.
  — Michael Slenske, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024
• But a last-act grasp at profundity in Ruth Greenberg’s screenplay feels unearned.
  — Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2024
• Gas station signs rise above flat landscapes while Spanish Revival homes and Googie structures grasp at faded panache.
  — Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2023
• There's also a creepy rocking cradle, a bird's egg falling from a tree top and shattering, and long fingers grasping at a pregnant belly.
  — Lauren Huff, EW.com, 25 Aug. 2023
• Analysts have suggested that Putin was merely taking his time to get a better grasp at the mogul’s enterprises.
  — Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2023
• British people have a name for their royal family that grasps at its weird status as both a family and a money-making enterprise.
  — Time, 25 June 2023
• And the third act hits you like a third martini: You are dragged along on the potent tide, buoyed by memories of former rationality, grasping at understanding.
  — Raven Smith, Vogue, 3 Jan. 2024
• The functionality is a little hard to grasp at first, which is probably why TextExpander forces you through a tutorial.
  — PCMAG, 16 May 2024
• For some major interview opportunities like the Super Bowl, Biden’s team has simply declined, giving up a chance that most politicians would grasp at eagerly.
  — Josh Dawsey, Washington Post, 4 July 2024
• Order is built, shapes and lines are constructed, but only so the moment of deep human feeling, of risk and vulnerability, a desperate grasp at intimacy, can take place.
  — Lynn Steger Strong, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2023
• The Aggie burner has elite acceleration but also the ability to downshift and change directions, often leaving defenders flat-footed and grasping at air.
  — Jim McBride, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Apr. 2023
• There’s an increasing sense that Silicon Valley is scrambling to chase fads, dodge scrutiny, and frantically grasping at a future it can no longer be bothered to properly articulate.
  — Brian Merchant, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2023
• The more obvious analysis is that Taylor opposed the club on purely political grounds, and opportunistically grasped at any argument likely to undermine it.
  — Ryann Liebenthal, The New Republic, 9 May 2023
• This collection invites readers into one Black woman’s experiences encountering absences, seeing beyond the empty spaces and grasping at the glimmers of glory that remain.
  — Martha Yesowitch, Charlotte Observer, 6 June 2024

Last Updated: 5 Dec 2024