grasps

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of grasp.

   The toddler grasps the spoon with surprising strength.

   A sharp student grasps abstract concepts faster than most of her peers.

   Note

   One present-tense form carries all three of the verb's meanings, and usually only the object tells them apart. In "grasps the railing" the grip is physical, in "grasps the argument" it is mental, and in "grasps the opportunity" it means seizing a chance. Like any regular verb, it adds -s after he, she or it, and it drops the -s again in questions and negatives: does she grasp it?

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of grasp.

   The infant's early grasps were clumsy but determined.

   The swimmer made desperate grasps at the floating branch.

   Note

   Plurals belong mostly to the physical grip, where each hold can be counted. The noun's other meanings, understanding and what lies within reach, usually stay singular: a firm grasp of grammar, success within her grasp. The same spelling also serves as the present-tense verb, so the sentence decides. In "his grasps loosened" it is a noun; in "he grasps the rope" it is a verb.

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