Rate this phrase:0.0 / 0 votes

grasp at straws

To guess randomly at or pursue any apparent option, as due to lack of options or information.

Etymology:

  • This idiom refers to a drowning man grabbing any floating object, even a straw, to save himself. It was first used by Thomas More in A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation.
14 Views
“

I never met his mother, so I'm grasping at straws for an appropriate gift for her.

Collection   Edit    

Submitted on September 01, 2009

Additional definitions for 'grasp at straws':

Grasp at StrawsMaking a futile effort at something, trying to find a way in trouble when it is unlikely to succeed
See them all »

Translation

Find a translation for the grasp at straws phrase in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to grasp at straws

grasp all, lose allgrasp the nettle

How to pronounce this phrase?

Discuss this grasp at straws phrase with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this grasp at straws definition to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "grasp at straws." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Nov. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/grasp-at-straws_4176>.

    Powered by CITE.ME Cite.Me

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a phrases master?

    »
    Of course I can do this quiz! It's a piece of ________.
    A cake
    B bread
    C shrapnel
    D history

    Browse Phrases.com

    #ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ