grasp for
phrasal verb
grasped for; grasping for; grasps for
: to try in a desperate or awkward way to get (something)
His sudden decision to quit the race has left his supporters grasping for explanations.
grasping for attention
Examples of grasp for in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The footage silenced some OVO fans grasping for straws on X/Twitter, trying to quash K. Dot’s big show with the rumor that the couple was on the splits.
—
Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 20 June 2024
State governments today grasp for dollars from the federal government more than for independence from it.
—Ramesh Ponnuru, Washington Post, 18 June 2024
But a proliferation of festivals in the region has turned BBR from the only game in town to one of many events grasping for an ever-fractured market.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2024
Officials at the city, state and federal level continue to grasp for solutions.
—Tim Balk, New York Daily News, 20 May 2024
That juxtaposition of triumph and death, all too familiar in a sport grasping for meaningful safety reforms, lingered for many who watched.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 16 May 2024
By focusing on a law-and-order message while defending the right to free speech, Biden is grasping for a middle ground on an intensely divisive issue in the middle of his reelection campaign.
—Chris Megerian, Fortune, 2 May 2024
Why? 6 months after Preston Lord's death, community still grasping for answers 'Taken too soon': Family of Glendale man fatally stabbed in 2019 demand justice More than 70 arrested at pro-Palestinian protest at ASU.
—Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 2 May 2024
In his recent speeches, Trump, too, was grasping for a larger context for his denunciations of migrants — though with none of Orban’s deftness, instead unspooling increasingly extravagant and explosive conspiracy theories.
—Charles Homans Robert Petkoff Anna Diamond Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2024
Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 20 June 2024
State governments today grasp for dollars from the federal government more than for independence from it.
—Ramesh Ponnuru, Washington Post, 18 June 2024
But a proliferation of festivals in the region has turned BBR from the only game in town to one of many events grasping for an ever-fractured market.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2024
Officials at the city, state and federal level continue to grasp for solutions.
—Tim Balk, New York Daily News, 20 May 2024
That juxtaposition of triumph and death, all too familiar in a sport grasping for meaningful safety reforms, lingered for many who watched.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 16 May 2024
By focusing on a law-and-order message while defending the right to free speech, Biden is grasping for a middle ground on an intensely divisive issue in the middle of his reelection campaign.
—Chris Megerian, Fortune, 2 May 2024
Why? 6 months after Preston Lord's death, community still grasping for answers 'Taken too soon': Family of Glendale man fatally stabbed in 2019 demand justice More than 70 arrested at pro-Palestinian protest at ASU.
—Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 2 May 2024
In his recent speeches, Trump, too, was grasping for a larger context for his denunciations of migrants — though with none of Orban’s deftness, instead unspooling increasingly extravagant and explosive conspiracy theories.
—Charles Homans Robert Petkoff Anna Diamond Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grasp for.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near grasp for
Cite this Entry
“Grasp for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grasp%20for. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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