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Meaning & use

within our grasp

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UK/wɪˌðɪn aʊə ˈɡrɑːsp/
US/wɪˌðɪn aʊər ˈɡræsp/

Meanings

  1. phrasefixed phrase

    Able to be achieved or reached if you try hard enough.

    Grammar: Used after the verb be: the prize is within our grasp. The possessive changes with the subject: within my grasp, within their grasp.

    Patterns

    • something is within our grasp
    • within reach of something
    • come within our grasp

    After months of training, the championship is finally within our grasp.

    A cure for the disease may soon be within our grasp.

    If we save a little more each month, a house of our own will be within our grasp.

  2. phrasefixed phraseliterary

    Close enough to be held or touched physically.

    Grammar: Used with physical objects; a more literal use than the 'achievable' sense.

    Patterns

    • something is within our grasp
    • hold something within our grasp

    She stretched out her arm, but the rope was not quite within her grasp.

    The fruit hung low, easily within our grasp.

Common combinations

finally within our grasp
The title is finally within our grasp after years of effort.
slip from our grasp
The victory slipped from our grasp in the final minute.
come within our grasp
Peace came within our grasp, then the talks collapsed.
well within our grasp
With this team, promotion is well within our grasp.

Synonyms and how they differ

within reach
Nearly the same meaning, but it can also describe physical distance, while 'within our grasp' often suggests effort and ambition.
achievable
A plain adjective meaning 'possible to do'; it states the idea directly, whereas the idiom sounds more dramatic.
attainable
More formal and often used for goals or standards; the idiom is warmer and more personal.

Opposites

out of reachimpossible

Word family

grasp verb
to take hold of something firmly, or to understand an idea
grasp noun
a firm hold, or a full understanding of something
grasping adjective
greedy for money or possessions

Commonly confused: within our grasp or within our grips? within our grasp or out of our hands?

within our grasp vs within our grips

Not a real English idiom. Use 'within our grasp' or 'in our grip' for a physical hold.

within our grasp vs out of our hands

This means we no longer control something, which is a different idea from being able to achieve it.

Practice

The team has trained hard all year, and now the trophy is ___ our grasp.

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