grasp
grasp
(grɑːsp , græsp)Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense grasps , present participle grasping , past tense, past participle grasped
1. verb
2. See also grasping
4. singular noun [with poss, oft in/from N]
If you say that something is in someone's grasp, you disapprove of the fact that they possess or control it. If something slips from your grasp, you lose it or lose control of it.
The people in your grasp are not guests, they are hostages.
She allowed victory to slip from her grasp.
...the task of liberating a number of states from the grasp of tyrants.
5. verb
The Government has not yet grasped the seriousness of the crisis. [VERB noun]
He instantly grasped that Stephen was talking about his wife. [VERB that]
6. singular noun
A grasp of something is an understanding of it.
They have a good grasp of foreign languages. [+ of]
