grasp

Cycles of great-power rivalry, where leading states grasped ineffectively for hegemony, shaped the emergence of both dynastic empires and modern nations while testing statesmen.

A lay reader may find this wordy description difficult to grasp.

"So, a lot of them have developed grasping structures to connect themselves to a mate during reproduction."

Holley attempted to establish that Kay’s drug use escalated year after year, saying there was “a complete failure by the Angels to grasp the magnitude of the problem.”

On Tuesday, Williamson rejected Sir Jon's accusation that the lack of planning represented a "dereliction of duty", but conceded that "the depth of the challenge we were facing hadn't been properly grasped".