I. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
grasp a concept (= understand it )
▪
Children often grasp new concepts more quickly than adults.
grasp the meaning (= begin to understand the meaning )
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She suddenly grasped the meaning of his frantic gestures.
grasp/appreciate/understand the significance of sth
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The press was slow to grasp the significance of what had happened.
realize/grasp the implications (= understand what they are )
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The government has been slow to grasp the implications of the current teacher shortage.
sb's grasp of reality (= their understanding of reality )
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They portrayed her as a sick woman with only a tenuous grasp of reality.
sb's hand grabs/grasps sth (= take and hold something firmly )
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He felt Connor's hand grasp his shoulder.
seize/grasp an opportunity (= do something very eagerly when you have the chance )
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She saw an opportunity to speak to him, and seized it.
slipped from...grasp
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Cally slipped from his grasp and fled.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
fully
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I don't know if the general public has fully grasped just how undemocratic the present Labour leadership election rules are.
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Furthermore neither side fully grasped the priorities, the political problems and the policy-making processes of the other.
how
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Horses are not stupid and will soon grasp how to avoid hard graft!
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I had just come to grasp how physical scientists understand the Universe in terms of certain quantities which are always rigorously conserved.
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I don't think you've grasped how retro he is.
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But even the ingenious Dom Pérignon failed to grasp how close he was to radically improving sparkling wine production.
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No matter how much these technologists know about genes, they have never grasped how an entire organism functions.
immediately
▪
There are formal operational thinkers - those who immediately grasp the abstract form of the problem and solve it quickly and easily.
quickly
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He had also quickly grasped that the islanders would do nothing to endanger the safety of Sycorax.
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The right balance of detail should help the reader quickly grasp the nature of the problem and your approach to it.
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Seth and his followers quickly grasped their opportunity and immediately closed the lid and fastened it securely.
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Reyes Heroles is well-respected for his ability to quickly grasp complex issues.
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What seems like a small problem to you and me quickly grasps the attention of all the young people in the room.
quite
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The tabloids couldn't quite grasp what they had here.
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I haven't quite grasped what the acquisitions policy is here.
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Howard is still a little jealous of his authority, hasn't yet quite grasped the new set-up since my Ministry was established.
■ NOUN
arm
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But as his hand grasped her arm , she recognised defeat, and, halting, she swung around.
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When I stop midway, he grasps my hand or arm and pushes it toward his feet.
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I sit beside her mum, who grasps my arm with both hands, like a drowning woman.
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She drained her glass, refilled it and grasped the arm of the chair.
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Strong hands grasped Isabel's arms .
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She felt a firm grasp on her arm and a second later she was on Chalon's back.
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Taking a deep breath, he grasped Mait's arm , and pulled him away from the enhancer.
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Free to scramble away, instead she went up to him and grasped his arm .
concept
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Vibrancy as entertainment was a new concept for Lucien to grasp .
fact
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When will the Opposition grasp that simple fact ?
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His sources do not help him grasp the inconvenient fact that many young men actually enjoy warfare.
hand
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I released her hand and grasped her firmly by the buttocks, small but ripe.
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Betty was the Blue Girl, with a hawk-wing swoop of black hat, forbidding gaze, hands grasping the white chair.
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He stood in the doorway holding the thirty-eight in his right hand , with his left hand grasping his right wrist.
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But as his hand grasped her arm, she recognised defeat, and, halting, she swung around.
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Each time he stretched out his hand to grasp them the wind tossed them high away out of reach.
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Then his hands grasped her shoulders.
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How do you command your hand to grasp a cup?
handle
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He grasped the shaky handle of the office door, and cursed.
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You grasp the handle , and can feel the coolness of it in your hand.
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She crossed the room in a few quick strides, grasped the handle of the door set in the wall and pulled.
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You open the lid by grasping a handle shaped like a burned match.
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With one hand he grasped the string handle of the carrier-bag with the Union Jack on it.
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You reach out and grasp the handle .
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She grasped the heavy iron handle and turned it cautiously.
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He grasped the handle of the door in one hand, and that of the spoon in the other.
idea
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Friction between the generations is exacerbated when younger staff grasp the new idea and their creativity is suddenly released.
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Once we really grasp its idea , then we are ready to begin our journey.
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The reader who has grasped these ideas has the root of the matter in him.
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Before the managers could begin to understand what providing leadership meant, they had to grasp these fundamental ideas .
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Read through the suggestions, grasp the ideas , and learn.
implication
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He said nothing and waited for Tolby to grasp the implications .
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Ministers have generally failed to grasp the implications of Mrs Thatcher's conversion to the cause of the environment.
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My thoughts went round and round in circles, as I tried to grasp all the implications at once.
meaning
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The concentration on detail and the speaker's reaction might prevent you from grasping the speaker's meaning anyway.
nettle
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Mellor grasped the nettle and told how he felt like Daniel in the lion's den.
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Then it may be able to grasp the nettles of boundaries and ethos and see them as secondary.
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The community has also grasped the nettle of the unemployment argument for development.
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Since impacts are the product of population numbers and consumption, all nations should grasp the nettle of eventual zero population growth.
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Mr. Thornton and Mr. Taylor grasped that nettle .
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A new field of activity seemed to be opening up for him if only he had the courage to grasp the nettle .
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Mrs Bottomley later dismissed suggestions that she had failed to grasp the nettle .
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When the right hon. Gentleman came to that office, he had the opportunity to grasp the nettle of prison reform.
opportunity
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Isabel had grasped the opportunity of his presence to escape from Gloucester.
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Perhaps only Chandos boss Brian Couzens would grasp an opportunity like that.
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One person will grasp an opportunity with enthusiasm, whereas another will recoil from the same chance with anxiety and fear.
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Seth and his followers quickly grasped their opportunity and immediately closed the lid and fastened it securely.
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The Prime Minister failed to grasp that opportunity .
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Many labour-only subcontractors have grasped the opportunity to expand initially to a labour and material sub-contractor and subsequently to a general contractor.
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Should not the Government grasp that opportunity ?
point
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Once again, no party except ours seems to have grasped this simple point or made any proposal to act on it.
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You have to grasp a major point .
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After the lectures and discussions she would spend extra time ensuring anyone with language difficulties had grasped the important points .
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I don't think Stuart at all grasped the point I was making.
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The interplay of these terms is not always easy to grasp , but the point of positing them is comparatively clear.
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The Labour Party utterly failed to grasp the point , let alone the enormity, of what the Government had done.
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If only the women could grasp my points of view.
principle
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But, try as I might, I just couldn't grasp the principle .
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Even Ellet failed to grasp this principle .
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It is essential that this group of patients grasp the essential dietary principles at the outset.
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From what we hear, not everybody has entirely grasped the principle of the Prime Minister's reform.
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Their alchemists were experimenting with gunpowder, their engineers had grasped the basic principles of steam propulsion.
shoulder
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Then his hands grasped her shoulders .
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Benjamin hastened over and grasped the woman's shoulder .
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The minder's hand grasped the photographer's shoulder .
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Loretta put down her book, grasped him by the shoulders , and heaved him back into the arms of his tormentors.
significance
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The expert's advantage is in his easy access to the evidence and in his better ability to grasp its significance .
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Burty grasped the significance of the photographic Nemesis.
straw
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But sometimes you grasp at straws .
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For now, researchers admit that they are still grasping at straws .
truth
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Cranston, full of wine and his own theories, was now certain they had grasped the truth .
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There have been times in our history when we grasped this obvious truth more surely.
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Loyalty-obsessed companies have grasped two important managerial truths .
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In the end we will grasp the truth .
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The music press scrambled around, at times rather pathetically, to grasp hold of the truth .
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It is a attempt to grasp the higher spiritual truth .
wrist
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A hand shot out and grasped her wrist .
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He stood in the doorway holding the thirty-eight in his right hand, with his left hand grasping his right wrist .
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They had grasped her by the wrists and feet and dragged her to the neighbouring room.
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Suddenly he leaned forward across the table and grasped my wrist .
■ VERB
begin
▪
Conservation thinking has begun to grasp a few of the same nettles.
fail
▪
The Opposition have totally failed to grasp the banding concept.
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After 20 years of coaching, did Donahue fail to grasp what he and some 50 million were witnessing?
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Sadly, it seems that he has failed to grasp the relationship between the district council and the board.
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Even Ellet failed to grasp this principle.
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They fail to grasp that what is required is their own detailed response to what is before them.
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There are those deep into their careers who still fail to grasp this concept.
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Ministers have generally failed to grasp the implications of Mrs Thatcher's conversion to the cause of the environment.
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Why is it that we in this great nation consistently fail to grasp the deep-seated social and economic problems that plague us?
need
▪
Diving animals need some grasp of the difference between solids and fluids, as well as of depth, movement, and distance.
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But the difference needs to be grasped before I can venture an opinion usefully upon that.
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What we need to grasp is that the scientist is a member of the public.
reach
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In a sense he reaches out and grasps it.
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If it frightened him, he habitually reached out and grasped it.
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Then he reached out, grasped Mandy's outstretched hand and pulled her back to safe, solid ground.
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You reach out and grasp the handle.
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He fought his way upwards, fingernails tearing at the ornate carvings, hands reaching to grasp the top.
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She felt his hands reach beneath her and grasp her gorgeous ripe melons.
seem
▪
Once again, no party except ours seems to have grasped this simple point or made any proposal to act on it.
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Yet the Marana council members are so unsophisticated they seem unable to grasp the full impact of their actions.
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Then she seemed to grasp what they were saying.
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Nor did he seem to grasp the peril that he was in.
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Only Ken Wilson seemed to have grasped the essentials of public argument.
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What is so sad is that through all the tinsel shines a reality, but we can not seem to grasp it.
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He didn't seem to grasp that we can hardly bury a head without a body.
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On the horizon is a field of view overgrown with nettles, which no one seems to want to grasp .
try
▪
He reached out wildly, trying to grasp the creature, but it had moved away.
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I try to grasp his leg, but it is hard to hold on.
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He was trying to grasp the events going on around him.
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He tried to grasp what he had been rehearsing but he seemed to have lost it.
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She was trying to grasp the radically changed situation with which she must come to terms.
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It looked as if Doyle was trying to grasp the sheet.
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My thoughts went round and round in circles, as I tried to grasp all the implications at once.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a firm grip/hold/grasp etc
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As darkness gains a firmer grip the songbirds fade and the owls start.
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As soon as one does so, its lips close around it, giving it a firm hold.
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But at current levels the shares are a firm hold.
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Choose a firm hold variant which will keep your style in place during winder weather and light drizzle.
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Clumps of sturdy weed grew wherever they could take a firm hold.
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I keep a firm grip on my hat and stare into the blustery abyss.
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It's safe but you need to have a firm grip to cut a 13-amp flex.
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Usually this happens because the task is too broadly stated to get a firm grasp on it.
be clutching/grasping at straws
▪
Green ponds should not be a problem now, but come next summer, you may be clutching at straws .
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
Fame has come suddenly, and Peyton is finding it hard to grasp .
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Obviously, she had barely grasped the subject.
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Science lessons should be taught in a way that makes the material easier to grasp .
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Taylor manages to explain technical ideas in a way that non-specialists can grasp .
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The army had failed to grasp that their mission was to protect the navy's ships, not vice versa.
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The handgrips should be shaped so that children can grasp them firmly.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
The right balance of detail should help the reader quickly grasp the nature of the problem and your approach to it.
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The toothed whales have a set of teeth which they use to grasp large and quick-moving prey, mainly squid or fish.
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They grasp at each other with numbed fingers for the comfort of touch.
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This was separated from the other digits, giving their owners the ability to grasp and manipulate objects.
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Though I have no trouble grasping its concepts, math continues to be difficult for me.
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Wexford grasped it in both his hands, raised it high and brought it down hard to meet the empty air.
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What is so sad is that through all the tinsel shines a reality, but we can not seem to grasp it.
II. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
firm
▪
It remained his belief, though, that a firm grasp of wider realities would serve him well.
▪
Usually this happens because the task is too broadly stated to get a firm grasp on it.
▪
She handled Gilbert with a firm , no-nonsense grasp .
good
▪
Some cathedral organists have developed considerable liturgical flair and some have a good grasp of theology.
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She has the best grasp of the staggering task.
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Although some students have a good grasp of colloquial language, few have ever got to grips with the concept of register.
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Thus by the age of five years, children have a good grasp of the concept of intention.
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In most cases, therefore, what is required is a good general grasp of the topic.
■ VERB
show
▪
His technique shows a masterful grasp of the conventions of the philosophic dialogue perfected by Plato.
slip
▪
In Hampshire alone Gosport, Havant and Portsmouth all slipped from their grasp .
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Every solid fact slipped out of Blanche's grasp as soon as she believed she grasped it.
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While she was doing this, the child slipped from her grasp , and fell into the river where it was drowned.
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The government does not want them to slip beyond its grasp .
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He felt that things were loosening and slipping from his grasp .
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Although nominally in charge, control was slipping from his grasp .
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Long ago, he now realised, Nicholas had slipped from his grasp .
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The shot slipped from his grasp and nearly flattened the Head's wife.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a firm grip/hold/grasp etc
▪
As darkness gains a firmer grip the songbirds fade and the owls start.
▪
As soon as one does so, its lips close around it, giving it a firm hold.
▪
But at current levels the shares are a firm hold.
▪
Choose a firm hold variant which will keep your style in place during winder weather and light drizzle.
▪
Clumps of sturdy weed grew wherever they could take a firm hold.
▪
I keep a firm grip on my hat and stare into the blustery abyss.
▪
It's safe but you need to have a firm grip to cut a 13-amp flex.
▪
Usually this happens because the task is too broadly stated to get a firm grasp on it.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
Cordell had an impressive grasp of military issues.
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Helen tightened her grasp on my collar and shouted ""Don't fool around with me, Mickey!''
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Recent moves have weakened his grasp on power.
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She tried to escape Moore's grasp but he was too strong for her.
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Some of the historical nuances are beyond the grasp of most children.
▪
Take a firm grasp on the rope.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
But such a brash grasp for the moral high ground called for an answer.
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Can one doubt that such a tale is one of a tightening grasp of an actual reality?
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He had Hannele in mind and, he hoped, almost in his grasp .
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He now had Joe the Fish in his grasp , as he had sworn to himself that he would.
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He recognised him at once as Fouchard returned, trophy firmly in his grasp .
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His technique shows a masterful grasp of the conventions of the philosophic dialogue perfected by Plato.
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She seized the handle, but the impetus was too great, and it was wrenched from her convulsive grasp .
▪
Would anyone with a reasonable grasp on sanity even attempt something like this?