take is a general term applicable to any manner of getting something into one's possession or control.
take some salad from the bowl
seize implies a sudden and forcible movement in getting hold of something tangible or an apprehending of something fleeting or elusive when intangible.
seized the suspect
grasp stresses a laying hold so as to have firmly in possession.
grasp the handle and pull
clutch suggests avidity or anxiety in seizing or grasping and may imply less success in holding.
clutching her purse
snatch suggests more suddenness or quickness but less force than seize.
snatched a doughnut and ran
grab implies more roughness or rudeness than snatch.
grabbed roughly by the arm
Example Sentences
Verb I grasped the end of the rope and pulled as hard as I could. I grasped the rope by its end. His arthritis is so bad he can barely grasp a pencil. Noun The author shows a weak grasp of military strategy. The books on the top shelf are just beyond my grasp. She moved the toy to within the baby's grasp. She felt the solution was within her grasp. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
That concept is easier for most people to grasp in the case of a hurricane, Reed said. Rachel Ramirez, CNN, 1 Aug. 2022 An illustration shows the process by which Rice University mechanical engineers turn deceased spiders into necrobotic grippers, able to grasp items when triggered by hydraulic pressure. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 29 July 2022 There’s quite a bit to grasp in this endeavor, so start small and progress one photon at a time. Eric Adams, Popular Mechanics, 15 July 2022 Connie Dabate’s family reached out to grasp one another in the courtroom as the jury delivered the verdict. Taylor Hartz, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2022 But when would have Stark been able to grasp the complexity of the multiverse like that? Chris Smith, BGR, 13 May 2022 Two men grasp a third whose mouth opens in agony, consumed by a raw, animalistic rage, in a vertical tangle. Holly Jones, Variety, 9 May 2022 Not ever really fully being able to grasp that kind of desperation. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 8 Feb. 2022 Some people are able to quickly grasp numbers in spreadsheets, but others are not. Derek Steer, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2021
Noun
Russia ordered the execution of one Bashkir for every Bashkir who tried to flee the long grasp of Russian colonization. Casey Michel, The New Republic, 16 Sep. 2022 Along the way, Watson, a seventh-round pick who wouldn’t have been starting but for a teammate’s injury, slipped the desperate grasp of Herbert, who made a futile attempt of tackling him. Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2022 One example: Echols should have had two sacks in the opener against San Diego State but allowed Braxton Burmeister to escape his grasp. Michael Lev, The Arizona Republic, 15 Sep. 2022 After coin-flipping enthusiast Lance Hornsby (Josh Hamilton) took all the communities (Alexandria, the Hilltop, Oceanside) by force, those able to escape his grasp are now homeless and on the run. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 8 Sep. 2022 Circulating this essay, David summarized, Tolkien knew that the grasp for ultimate power meant that the contest between good and evil would be transformed into a contest between evils. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 6 Sep. 2022 The film centers around a writer (Brie Larson) who has been blessed with an amazing idea only to lose grasp of it when the phone rings. Rodney Ho, ajc, 5 Sep. 2022 Director Castille Landon shot the third and fourth entries back-to-back during the pandemic with Bulgaria standing in for the various locations, which perhaps accounts for the film’s faltering grasp on time and place. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 4 Sep. 2022 Now was the time to strike while the iron was hot or forever be chasing contract reconstruction always outside our grasp. Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Aug. 2022 See More