grasp at straws

straw

G g

Definitions of grasp at straws words

noun grasp at straws a single stalk or stem, especially of certain species of grain, chiefly wheat, rye, oats, and barley. 1
noun grasp at straws a mass of such stalks, especially after drying and threshing, used as fodder. 1
noun grasp at straws material, fibers, etc., made from such stalks, as used for making hats or baskets. 1
noun grasp at straws the negligible value of one such stalk; trifle; least bit: not to care a straw. 1
noun grasp at straws a tube, usually of paper or glass, for sucking up a beverage from a container: to sip lemonade through a straw. 1
noun grasp at straws anything of possible but dubious help in a desperate circumstance. 1

before 950

One of the 4% oldest English words

before 950; Middle English; Old English strēaw; cognate with German Stroh; akin to strew

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 99% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

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