See grasp at straws on Wiktionary
{
"etymology_text": "In reference to a drowning person grabbing any floating object, even a straw, to save themselves. First used by Thomas More in A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation (1534).",
"forms": [
{
"form": "grasps at straws",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "grasping at straws",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "grasped at straws",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "grasped at straws",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "clutch at straws",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "clutch at a straw",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "grab at straws",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "grab at a straw",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "grasp at a straw",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "*"
},
"expansion": "grasp at straws (third-person singular simple present grasps at straws, present participle grasping at straws, simple past and past participle grasped at straws)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "62 38",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "47 53",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Entries with translation boxes",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "58 42",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 1 entry",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "59 41",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "58 42",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Czech translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "61 39",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with German translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "62 38",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Italian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "59 41",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Russian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "66 34",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "61 39",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
34,
52
]
],
"text": "I've never met his mother, so I'm grasping at straws for an appropriate gift for her.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information."
],
"id": "en-grasp_at_straws-en-verb-02lu-h~3",
"links": [
[
"guess",
"guess"
],
[
"random",
"random"
],
[
"option",
"option"
],
[
"information",
"information"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information",
"word": "chytat se stébla"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information",
"word": "chytat se jako tonoucí stébla"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information",
"word": "nach jedem Strohhalm greifen"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information",
"word": "arrampicarsi sugli specchi"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "xvatátʹsja za solóminku",
"sense": "guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "хвата́ться за соло́минку"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information",
"word": "agarrarse a un clavo ardiendo"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 4",
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information",
"word": "gripa efter halmstrån"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "47 53",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Entries with translation boxes",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"derived": [
{
"_dis1": "30 70",
"word": "straw-clutchingly"
},
{
"_dis1": "30 70",
"word": "a drowning man will clutch at a straw"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To get hold of any help, even if it is insignificant."
],
"id": "en-grasp_at_straws-en-verb-s4IEpzaJ",
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To get hold of any help, even if it is insignificant."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "en-au-grasp at straws.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/23/En-au-grasp_at_straws.ogg/En-au-grasp_at_straws.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/En-au-grasp_at_straws.ogg"
}
],
"wikipedia": [
"A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation",
"Thomas More"
],
"word": "grasp at straws"
}
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English verbs",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Terms with Czech translations",
"Terms with German translations",
"Terms with Italian translations",
"Terms with Russian translations",
"Terms with Spanish translations",
"Terms with Swedish translations"
],
"derived": [
{
"word": "straw-clutchingly"
},
{
"word": "a drowning man will clutch at a straw"
}
],
"etymology_text": "In reference to a drowning person grabbing any floating object, even a straw, to save themselves. First used by Thomas More in A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation (1534).",
"forms": [
{
"form": "grasps at straws",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "grasping at straws",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "grasped at straws",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "grasped at straws",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "clutch at straws",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "clutch at a straw",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "grab at straws",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "grab at a straw",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "grasp at a straw",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "*"
},
"expansion": "grasp at straws (third-person singular simple present grasps at straws, present participle grasping at straws, simple past and past participle grasped at straws)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English idioms",
"English terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
34,
52
]
],
"text": "I've never met his mother, so I'm grasping at straws for an appropriate gift for her.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information."
],
"links": [
[
"guess",
"guess"
],
[
"random",
"random"
],
[
"option",
"option"
],
[
"information",
"information"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English idioms"
],
"glosses": [
"To get hold of any help, even if it is insignificant."
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To get hold of any help, even if it is insignificant."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "en-au-grasp at straws.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/23/En-au-grasp_at_straws.ogg/En-au-grasp_at_straws.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/En-au-grasp_at_straws.ogg"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information",
"word": "chytat se stébla"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information",
"word": "chytat se jako tonoucí stébla"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information",
"word": "nach jedem Strohhalm greifen"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information",
"word": "arrampicarsi sugli specchi"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "xvatátʹsja za solóminku",
"sense": "guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "хвата́ться за соло́минку"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information",
"word": "agarrarse a un clavo ardiendo"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "guess randomly or pursue any apparent option, due to a lack of clear choices or information",
"word": "gripa efter halmstrån"
}
],
"wikipedia": [
"A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation",
"Thomas More"
],
"word": "grasp at straws"
}
Download raw JSONL data for grasp at straws meaning in All languages combined (4.0kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-06-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-05-20 using wiktextract (3dadd05 and f1c2b61). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.