grapple
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6 ENTRIES FOUND:

1grap·ple

noun \ˈgra-pəl\

Definition of GRAPPLE

1
a : the act or an instance of grappling
b : a hand-to-hand struggle
c : a contest for superiority or mastery
2
: a bucket similar to a clamshell but usually having more jaws

Examples of GRAPPLE

  1. <was simply unable to break my opponent's viselike grapple and lost the wrestling match>
  2. <after a grapple with his conscience, he confessed to having an affair>

Origin of GRAPPLE

Middle English grappel grappling hook, from Old French *grappelle, diminutive of grape hook — more at grape
First Known Use: 1601

Other Civil Engineering Terms

asphalt, ballast, barrage, cantilever, infrastructure, sluice

Rhymes with GRAPPLE

2grapple

verb
grap·pledgrap·pling \ˈgra-p(ə-)liŋ\

Definition of GRAPPLE

transitive verb
1
: to seize with or as if with a grapple
2
: to come to grips with : wrestle
3
: to bind closely
intransitive verb
1
: to make a ship fast with a grappling hook
2
: to come to grips
3
: to use a grapple
grap·pler \-p(ə-)lər\ noun

Examples of GRAPPLE

  1. <two sumo wrestlers grappling like a pair of mammoth bears>
  2. <a crane grappled the sunken boat and hoisted it above water>

First Known Use of GRAPPLE

1530

Rhymes with GRAPPLE

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