need to grasp the nettle / But governments often barely grasp the value locked up in them.

To grasp it get a hold of something, literally or figuratively. Grasp the grammar textbook with both hands and then read it to grasp the rules of the English language.

It makes sense that the word grasp means understanding a concept since you are "getting a hold of an idea" just as you would grasp something tangible to hold. Grasp is good for when you're talking about comprehending the scale of something, or the full picture of a multi-faceted problem or idea. You might know that there is going to be a heat wave, but you may not grasp the idea of its relationship to global warming.

DEFINITIONS OF:grasp

1

vhold firmly

Synonyms:

hold on

Types:

show 4 types...

Type of:

hold, take hold

have or hold in one's hands or grip

vget the meaning of something

Synonyms:

apprehend, compass, comprehend, dig, get the picture, grok, savvy

Types:

show 4 types...

Type of:

understand

know and comprehend the nature or meaning of

nunderstanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something

“he has a good grasp of accounting practices”

Synonyms:

appreciation, hold

Types:

sense

a natural appreciation or ability

Type of:

apprehension, discernment, savvy, understanding

the cognitive condition of someone who understands

nan intellectual hold or understanding

“a terrible power had her in its grasp”

Synonyms:

grip

Types:

tentacle

something that acts like a tentacle in its ability to grasp and hold

Type of:

influence

a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc

nthe limit of capability

Synonyms:

compass, range, reach

Types:

ken, sight

the range of vision

Type of:

capability, capableness, potentiality

an aptitude that may be developed

nthe act of grasping

Synonyms:

clasp, clench, clutch, clutches, grip, hold

Types:

show 12 types...

Type of:

grasping, prehension, seizing, taking hold

the act of gripping something firmly with the hands (or the tentacles)

LearnAdd to List...Thesaurus

WORD FAMILY

grasp

grasped

grasping

the "grasp" family

USAGE EXAMPLES

• Grasping the fundamental way our biological processes work offers a huge potential to tap into some the efficiencies we as humans enjoy.
  Forbes Jan 10, 2014
• But governments often barely grasp the value locked up in them.
  Economist Jan 9, 2014
• Cowling, at the time a 34-year-old meteorologist, grasped at once the need to talk in language the man or woman in the street understood.
  BBC Jan 10, 2014
• Neither those who give science advice nor those who receive it have a clear grasp of what the future holds, a reality for the U.S.
  Science Magazine Jan 9, 2014

Next

AllNewsMedicine/ScienceBusinessArts/CultureSportsFictionTech