as in greedy
having or marked by an eager and often selfish desire especially for material possessions
a grasping person who would rather buy a car he didn't need than give a dime to charity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in understanding
to have a practical understanding of
he just doesn't grasp how important it is that he call when he'll be late
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clasping
to put one's arms around and press tightly
the departing soldier grasped his children a little closer than usual
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in holding
to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms
the attendant grasped my arm and steered me towards the door
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in knowing
to have a clear idea of
the emergency operator finally grasped what he was trying to tell her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grasping
Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
The grasping big toe also suggested this human relative spent more time in the trees.
—CBS News, 26 Nov. 2025
The father, Fyodor Karamazov, is a grasping, lecherous, deceitful, and shameless widower.
—Karl Ove Knausgaard, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
Engineers still struggle to replicate a grasping human hand, or the hand-eye coordination of a human brain.
—Natan Linder, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
The imperial Presidency: Designs on Greenland, promises to take back the Panama Canal, threats of tariffs on countries ranging from Colombia to Taiwan—how did a President who once pledged isolationism become so grasping?
—Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2025
Multiplied across numerous markets in every state, the LIHTC fuels more and more grasping for cash instead of reductions to make housing easier to create.
—Roger Valdez, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Unlike most other camp movies, this one isn’t about preserving and revering childhood, but the sloppy, grasping, wonderful transition to adulthood.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 May 2024
Candice Maenza, The Conversation, 2 Feb. 2026
Look for toys that support tummy time, grasping and visual engagement.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Feb. 2026
Who Benefits from Understanding Bitcoin Price Dynamics Despite these forecasting challenges, grasping what drives Bitcoin's price movements offers practical value across the financial landscape.
—William Jones, Ascend Agency, 30 Jan. 2026
In robotics, a policy is the decision-making layer that translates observations, such as camera images and sensor data, into physical actions like joint movements or grasping motions.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Jan. 2026
Bill could be seen grasping the proclamation as it was being given to him by the Madera County Supervisor Rob Poythress.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
For humans, that would look like holding a ball in your palm while simultaneously grasping a piece of fruit on the back of your hand.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 22 Jan. 2026
Paleontologists think this is likely because Najash’s legs offered functional advantages early on, perhaps for anchoring during burrowing or grasping prey.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
In this war lawyers invariably are depicted as soulless and grasping ambulance-chasers unconcerned about their clients’ welfare, and businesses as, well, soulless, grasping and unconcerned about their customers.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
In this war lawyers invariably are depicted as soulless and grasping ambulance-chasers unconcerned about their clients’ welfare, and businesses as, well, soulless, grasping and unconcerned about their customers.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
The grasping big toe also suggested this human relative spent more time in the trees.
—CBS News, 26 Nov. 2025
The father, Fyodor Karamazov, is a grasping, lecherous, deceitful, and shameless widower.
—Karl Ove Knausgaard, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
Engineers still struggle to replicate a grasping human hand, or the hand-eye coordination of a human brain.
—Natan Linder, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
The imperial Presidency: Designs on Greenland, promises to take back the Panama Canal, threats of tariffs on countries ranging from Colombia to Taiwan—how did a President who once pledged isolationism become so grasping?
—Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2025
Multiplied across numerous markets in every state, the LIHTC fuels more and more grasping for cash instead of reductions to make housing easier to create.
—Roger Valdez, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Unlike most other camp movies, this one isn’t about preserving and revering childhood, but the sloppy, grasping, wonderful transition to adulthood.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 May 2024
Verb
As expected, the arm opposite the brain injury often has major problems with weakness, stiffness and voluntary control, limiting its use for reaching, grasping and manipulating objects.
—Candice Maenza, The Conversation, 2 Feb. 2026
Look for toys that support tummy time, grasping and visual engagement.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Feb. 2026
Who Benefits from Understanding Bitcoin Price Dynamics Despite these forecasting challenges, grasping what drives Bitcoin's price movements offers practical value across the financial landscape.
—William Jones, Ascend Agency, 30 Jan. 2026
In robotics, a policy is the decision-making layer that translates observations, such as camera images and sensor data, into physical actions like joint movements or grasping motions.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Jan. 2026
Bill could be seen grasping the proclamation as it was being given to him by the Madera County Supervisor Rob Poythress.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
For humans, that would look like holding a ball in your palm while simultaneously grasping a piece of fruit on the back of your hand.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 22 Jan. 2026
Paleontologists think this is likely because Najash’s legs offered functional advantages early on, perhaps for anchoring during burrowing or grasping prey.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
In this war lawyers invariably are depicted as soulless and grasping ambulance-chasers unconcerned about their clients’ welfare, and businesses as, well, soulless, grasping and unconcerned about their customers.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grasping
Adjective
-
That requires that the drug companies be less greedy in squeezing the state’s Medicaid program.—
Livi Stanford,
Hartford Courant,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Unfortunately, buying a legitimate one to replace what’s been stolen can cost five, 10, or even 20 times that if your dealer’s service department is especially greedy, which is a big part of the problem here.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
An easy place to start is by understanding warm and cool colors, which have different attributes.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Hetzel’s contributions to the documentation and preservation of Imperial County history cannot be understated, acting as a valuable resource into understanding the truth of county infrastructure, development and industry.—
Michael James Rocha,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Manuel Alarcon, her father, was seated in the crowd, clasping his hands in rapt attention.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
To keep the jewelry clean, Glasser covered them in bubblegum wrappers, removing them before clasping the dress in place.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Reality Check is a Star series holding those with power to account and shining a light on their decisions.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
-
FedEx and private equity investor Advent International will both each own 37 percent of shares in the company, with investment firms A&R and PPF holding 16 percent and 10 percent stakes, respectively.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The level of supervision gives parents a chance to rest easy, knowing that their kids are in good hands.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Typical zero-knowledge proofs require a demonstration of how to build what’s called a simulator, which can re-create the steps of the proof without actually knowing the secret solution.—
Peter Hall,
Scientific American,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Thousands of fans huddled against the cold during one election rally in Tokyo last week, all eager for a glimpse of Takaichi.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
-
This is one of the Tex-Mex restaurants that has welcomed celebrities eager to try traditional Texas dishes.—
Imelda García,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The new Fast & Furious coaster that has been revving its engines during test runs around the hillside-hugging track will soon get the green flag to officially start racing with thrill seekers on board at Universal Studios Hollywood.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Available in 19 versatile washes, these hip-hugging jeans gradually flare out to a bootcut leg.—
Cheryl Wagemann,
InStyle,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But Haiti failed to hold general elections on Saturday as envisioned a couple of years ago, with gang violence gripping much of the capital and swaths of land in the country's central region.—
EVENS SANON,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Debris and sheet metal panels rained down from a Con Edison facility rooftop Saturday afternoon amid high winds in the current Arctic chill gripping the city, FDNY said.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grasping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grasping. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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