# grasp at straws

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/grasp-at-straws
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

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

## Examples

- He has no evidence, so he is just grasping at straws.
- You are grasping at straws if you think that old map still works.
- With no leads left to follow, the detective began grasping at straws to solve the mystery.
- When the car engine died in the middle of the desert, they started grasping at straws by checking the radio wires for a solution.
- The doctor admitted she was grasping at straws when she suggested the patient's rare allergy might be caused by a specific type of house paint.
- In a desperate attempt to justify his failed policy, the politician grasped at straws, citing irrelevant data from a decade ago.

## Origin

The expression emerges from the 1534 work A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation, written by Thomas More. It refers to the physical desperation of a drowning man who, in the absence of a sturdy timber, will attempt to seize even a floating straw to remain buoyant. More employed the image to describe a mind reaching for any slight hope, however flimsy the material might be.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.