grasp

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grasp /gr'ɑːsp, gr'æsp/ (grasps grasping grasped)
1 [VERB] V n, V at n
If you grasp something, you take it in your hand and hold it very firmly.
He grasped both my hands...
She was trying to grasp at something.
see also grasping
2 [N-SING] with supp
A grasp is a very firm hold or grip.
His hand was taken in a warm, firm grasp.
3 [N-SING] 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.
4 [VERB] V n, V that
If you grasp something that is complicated or difficult to understand, you understand it.
The Government has not yet grasped the seriousness of the crisis...
He instantly grasped that Stephen was talking about his wife.
5 [N-SING] with supp, usu N of N
A grasp of something is an understanding of it.
They have a good grasp of foreign languages.
6 [PHRASE] v-link PHR
If you say that something is within someone's grasp, you mean that it is very likely that they will achieve it.
Peace is now within our grasp.

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