Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

a drowning man will clutch at a straw

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.39 in modern English

Syllables
a drown-ing -man will -clutch at a s-traw
IPA
50
Scrabble Score
30
Letters
5
Syllables
15
Unique Chars

Meaning

proverb

A person in urgent need of assistance will seize any available form of aid, regardless of its insignificance.

Inflected Forms

a drowning man will grab at a straw (alternative) a drowning man will grasp at a straw (alternative) a drowning man will grab at straws (alternative) a drowning man will grasp at straws (alternative)

Phrases

grasp at straws beggars can't be choosers

Frequently Paired Words

grasp at straws beggars can't be choosers

Questions

What does a drowning man will clutch at a straw mean?
A person in urgent need of assistance will seize any available form of aid, regardless of its insignificance.

How to pronounce a drowning man will clutch at a straw

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “a drowning man will clutch at a straw”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “a drowning man will clutch at a straw”.
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