grasp meaning

USAGE SUMMARY

"grasp meaning" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use this phrase to express the concept of understanding something. For example, "It took a few moments for her to grasp the meaning of his words."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

9 human-written examples

Seeing data pictorially makes good use of both sides of the brain and lets one grasp meaning more quickly.Mr Yau's book does an excellent job of explaining what makes a good data illustration.

The Economist

Sarah Rosenberg and Louis Reyes Cardenas, who are credited with the show's conception, have kept Shakespeare's language (accented with an occasional "huh?" or "oh, all right"), letting young theatergoers grasp meaning through context.

The New York Times

Some theorists try to rescue materialism by saying that information is encoded into all matter, but "information" is a mental concept, and without the concept, there's no information in anything, since information by definition must ultimately contain meaning (even if it is a sequence of 0s and 1s as in computer language), and only minds grasp meaning.

Huffington Post

These symptoms lead to a reduced reading duration capacity and a lack of ability to read with sufficient fluency to grasp meaning.

Disability and Rehabilitation

In 2003 Dr Gee published a book called "What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy", in which he argued that playing such games helps people develop a sense of identity, grasp meaning, learn to follow commands and even pick role models.

The Economist

"Even in the most highly technical society, people are still trying to grasp meaning in that way," Dvorak says.

BBC

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

50 human-written examples

Although we may profess to believe, as the linguist Dwight Bolinger once put it, that dictionaries "do not exist to define but to help people grasp meanings," we don't often act on that belief.

The New York Times - Magazine

To understand how we grasp meanings, we might turn to psychological theories of concept possession and introspective access to conceptual structures.

SEP

A further point about broad aims is that teleological theories of mental content are not usually intended as theories about how we grasp meanings or are conscious of them.

SEP

From these, we were finally able to grasp meanings.

BMJ Open

So many things that humans are naturally good at — guessing contexts, inferring rules, remembering oddities, resolving ambiguities, and, above all, grasping meaning from fragmentary "input" — defeated the programmers' efforts, leaving the machine tongue-tied.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "grasp meaning" when you want to emphasize the act of actively understanding something, often after some effort or consideration. It's especially effective when describing a shift from confusion to clarity.

Common error

Avoid using "grasp meaning" when a more passive sense of understanding is intended. For instance, instead of saying "He grasped the meaning of the lecture without paying attention", opt for "He understood the meaning of the lecture…" to better reflect his disengaged state.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "grasp meaning" functions primarily as a verb phrase where "grasp" acts as a transitive verb taking "meaning" as its direct object. This indicates an active process of understanding. Ludwig confirms the phrase as correct and usable.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

35%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

5%

Social Media

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "grasp meaning" is a grammatically correct and usable phrase employed to express the active process of understanding something. While Ludwig AI affirms its validity, the frequency of its usage is considered uncommon. Predominantly found in "News & Media" and scientific contexts, the phrase suggests a neutral register suitable for various applications. For alternatives, consider phrases like "comprehend meaning" or "understand meaning", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey. Use "grasp meaning" when you wish to highlight the effort and active engagement in achieving comprehension.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

understand meaning

A more general and straightforward way of expressing comprehension.

comprehend meaning

Focuses more on the process of understanding as a whole.

get the meaning

A more informal way of expressing understanding.

grab meaning

Suggests quickly understanding or seizing the meaning.

fathom meaning

Implies a deeper understanding, often of something complex.

apprehend meaning

Implies a formal understanding or intellectual grasp.

decipher meaning

Suggests uncovering a hidden or obscure meaning.

deduce meaning

Highlights drawing a conclusion from evidence.

discern meaning

Emphasizes keen perception and clear understanding.

infer meaning

Stresses the act of deriving meaning through reasoning.

FAQs

How can I use "grasp meaning" in a sentence?

You can use "grasp meaning" to indicate understanding something, such as, "It took her a while to "grasp meaning" of the complex poem".

What is a more formal alternative to "grasp meaning"?

A more formal alternative could be "comprehend the meaning" or "apprehend the meaning".

Is it better to say "grasp the meaning of" or "grasp the significance of"?

While both are correct, "grasp the meaning of" refers to understanding the definition or literal sense, whereas "grasp the significance of" refers to understanding the importance or implications.

What does it mean to "fail to grasp the meaning"?

To "fail to "grasp meaning"" means to not understand something, often due to complexity or lack of information.