ENGLISH
REFERENCE

grasp at straws

idiom
Meaning

To guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information.


Origin

first recorded 16th c.

In reference to a drowning person grabbing any floating object, even a straw, to save themselves. First used by Thomas More in A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation (1534).

Examples
SIMPLE

He has no evidence, so he is just grasping at straws.

CONTEXTUAL

With no leads left to follow, the detective began grasping at straws to solve the mystery.

COMPLEX

In a desperate attempt to justify his failed policy, the politician grasped at straws, citing irrelevant data from a decade ago.

Anchors to

© 2026 English Reference