1.
to cling to, to hold on to (physically)
To grab onto something or someone for support.
母の腕に縋る。
To cling to one's mother's arm.
2.
to depend on, to rely on (emotionally/figuratively)
To depend heavily on someone or something for hope or support.
藁にも縋る思いだった。
I was desperate enough to grasp at straws.
This is a common idiomatic expression meaning to be desperate.
最後の希望に縋る。
To cling to the last hope.
縋る means to cling to or depend on something desperately.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 〜に縋る: to cling to ~
- 藁にも縋る思い: desperate feeling (lit. "even grasping at straw")
- 希望に縋る: to cling to hope
VERB TYPE: Godan verb (五段動詞), intransitive
USAGE NOTE:
Often implies desperation or a vulnerable emotional state. The idiom 藁にも縋る思い is very commonly used.