Phrasal verb
grasp at
Definition
phrasal verb. to try to grab something quickly, or to try very hard to find a reason or solution when you are desperate.
phrasal verb. to reach out suddenly to seize something; figuratively, to attempt to find or use something (such as an idea or excuse) because of a lack of better options.
Examples
“He reached out to grasp at the falling keys.”
“As the company failed, the manager began to grasp at any excuse to blame the market.”
“The witness, clearly flustered by the cross-examination, began to grasp at increasingly improbable details to support his original testimony.”
Examples
simple
“He reached out to grasp at the falling keys.”
contextual
“As the company failed, the manager began to grasp at any excuse to blame the market.”
complex
“The witness, clearly flustered by the cross-examination, began to grasp at increasingly improbable details to support his original testimony.”
Usage
often used figuratively with abstract nouns like 'straws', 'ideas', or 'excuses'.
Teaching tip
introduce the common idiom 'grasping at straws' to help students understand the connotation of desperation and futility often associated with this phrase.
Pitfall
He grasped at of the rope.
He grasped at the rope.
the preposition 'at' is followed directly by the object without adding 'of'.
Phrasal verb
Particles
at
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
grasp + at + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/grasp-at