Tra từ grasp - Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

grasp [grasp grasps grasped grasping] verb, noun BrE [ɡrɑːsp] NAmE [ɡræsp]
verb
1. ~ sb/sth to take a firm hold of sb/sth
Syn: ↑grip
•He grasped my hand and shook it warmly.
•Kay grasped him by the wrist.
2. to understand sth completely
•~ sth They failed to grasp the importance of his words.
•~ how, why, etc… She was unable to grasp how to do it.
•~ that… It took him some time to grasp that he was now a public figure.
3. ~ a chance/an opportunity to take an opportunity without hesitating and use it
•I grasped the opportunity to work abroad.
more at clutch/grasp at straws at ↑straw
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
late Middle English: perhaps related to ↑grope.

Synonyms:
hold
hold on • cling • clutch • grip • grasp • clasp • hang on
These words all mean to have sb/sth in your hands or arms.
hold • to have sb/sth in your hand or arms: ▪ She was holding a large box. ◇ ▪ I held the baby gently in my arms.
hold on (to sb/sth) • to continue to hold sb/sth; to put your hand on sb/sth and not take your hand away: ▪ Hold on and don't let go until I say so.
cling • to hold on to sb/sth tightly, especially with your whole body: ▪ Survivors ▪ clung to ▪ pieces of floating debris.
clutch • to hold sb/sth tightly, especially in your hand; to take hold of sth suddenly: ▪ She stood there, the flowers still clutched in her hand. ◇ ▪ He felt himself slipping and ▪ clutched at ▪ a branch.
grip • to hold on to sth very tightly with your hand: ▪ Grip the rope as tightly as you can.
grasp • to take hold of sth firmly: ▪ He grasped my hand and shook it warmly.
The object of grasp is often sb's hand or wrist.
clasp • (formal) to hold sb/sth tightly in your hand or in your arms: ▪ They clasped hands ▪ (= held each other's hands) ▪. ◇ ▪ She clasped the children in her arms.
The object of clasp is often your hands, sb else's hand or another person.
hang on (to sth) • to hold on to sth very tightly, especially in order to support yourself or stop yourself from falling: ▪ Hang on tight. We're off!
to hold/clutch/grip/clasp sth in your hand/hands
to hold/catch/clasp sb/sth in your arms
to hold/clutch/grip/grasp/clasp/hang on to sth
to hold/cling/hang on
to hold/clutch/clasp sb/sth to you
to hold/hold on to/cling to/clutch/grip/grasp/clasp/hang on to sb/sth tightly
to hold/hold on to/cling to/clutch/grip/grasp/clasp sb/sth firmly
to hold/hold on to/clutch/grip/clasp/hang on to sb/sth tight

Synonyms:
understand
see • get • follow • grasp • comprehend
These words all mean to know or realize sth, for example why sth happens, how sth works or what sth means.
understand • to know or realize the meaning of words, a language, what sb says, etc; to know or realize how or why sth happens, how it works or why it is important: ▪ I don't understand the instructions. ◇ ▪ Doctors still don't understand much about the disease.
see • to understand what is happening, what sb is saying, how sth works or how important sth is: ▪ ‘It opens like this.’ ‘ Oh, ▪ I see ▪.’ ◇ ▪ Oh yes, ▪ I see what you mean ▪.
get • (informal) to understand a joke, what sb is trying to tell you, or a situation that they are trying to describe: ▪ She didn't get the joke. ◇ ▪ I don't get you.
follow • to understand an explanation, a story or the meaning of sth: ▪ Sorry— I don't quite follow. ◇ ▪ The plot is almost impossible to follow.
grasp • to come to understand a fact, an idea or how to do sth: ▪ They failed to grasp the importance of his words.
understand or grasp?
You can use understand or grasp for the action of realizing the meaning or importance of sth for the first time: ▪ It's a difficult concept for children to understand/grasp. Only understand can be used to talk about languages, words or writing: I don't grasp French/the instructions.
comprehend • (often used in negative statements) (formal) to understand a fact, idea or reason: ▪ The concept of infinity is almost impossible for the human mind to comprehend.
to understand/see/get/follow/grasp/comprehend what/why/how…
to understand/see/grasp/comprehend that…
to understand/see/get/grasp the point/idea (of sth)
to be easy/difficult/hard to understand/see/follow/grasp/comprehend
to fully understand/see/grasp/comprehend sth

Example Bank:
•He had not fully grasped the fact that he was the one who would pay for all this.
•He was quick to grasp the basic principles.
•Her hands were grasping at his coat.
•I hadn't really grasped what they were talking about.
•She failed to grasp the significance of these facts.
•She grasped him tightly by the wrist.
•She grasped hold of the banister to support herself.
•Some of these concepts are very difficult to grasp.
•a means by which students can more easily grasp the basics of science
•By this time, engineers understood/had grasped the basic principles of aerodynamics.
•He grasped the pan by its handle.
•It's a difficult concept for children to understand/grasp.
Idiom: ↑grasp the nettle
Derived: ↑grasp at something

noun usually singular
1. a firm hold of sb/sth or control over sb/sth
Syn: ↑grip
•I grabbed him, but he slipped from my grasp.
•She felt a firm grasp on her arm.
•Don't let the situation escape from your grasp.
•As soon as he relaxed his grasp on the rope, it was pulled out of his hands.
•As the drugs took hold, her grasp of reality began to slip slowly away.
2. a person's understanding of a subject or of difficult facts
•He has a good grasp of German grammar.
•These complex formulae are beyond the grasp of the average pupil.
3. the ability to get or achieve sth
•Success was within her grasp.

Word Origin:
late Middle English: perhaps related to ↑grope.

Example Bank:
•He kept the letter firmly in his grasp.
•He slipped out of our grasp.
•Just when victory seemed within grasp, the referee blew his whistle.
•She felt a firm grasp on her hand.
•She kicked the gun out of his grasp.
•She wrenched the bottle from his grasp.
•The key was on a high shelf, just beyond her grasp.
•The robber tried to free the case from her grasp.
•The task was beyond the intellectual grasp of some of the students.
•These ideas are all beyond his grasp.
•We have no intuitive grasp of the immensity of time.
•Working with native speakers helped me get a good grasp of the language.
•a poor grasp of mathematics
•Don't let the situation escape from your grasp.
•He had a limited grasp of the wider political issues.
•Make sure you have a good grasp of the facts before attempting to argue your case.
•She has an excellent grasp of English grammar.
•Such complicated instructions are beyond the grasp of most of our students.
•The company continues to maintain its grasp on the business computer market.