GRAPPLED Synonyms: 87 Similar and Opposite Words

grappled

verb

past tense of grapple

as in wrestled

to seize and attempt to unbalance one another for the purpose of achieving physical mastery two sumo wrestlers grappling like a pair of mammoth bears

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as in grabbed

to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly a crane grappled the sunken boat and hoisted it above water

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of grappled In January, the Board of Medical Examiners grappled with how to punish Ricky Lee Jackson, a doctor who was licensed in Tennessee and had been sanctioned and fined by Washington state's medical commission. —

ABC News, 17 June 2026 Fosdick was part of the modernist movement in American Protestantism, which grappled with the implications of evolution and with new scholarship about the Bible’s origins. —

Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026 In Merrillville, residents grappled with heavy damage to their homes. —

Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026 President Ford continued his predecessor’s policy of détente with the Soviet Union, survived multiple assassination attempts, grappled with rising Inflation, and pardoned former President Nixon. —

New York Times, 11 June 2026 The outlet reported that Carradine's daughter told investigators her father had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had grappled with mental health issues for two decades. —

Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026 This happened even as many African economies grappled with currency weakness, debt burdens, and slow growth. —

Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 8 June 2026 Hewlett Packard Enterprise emerged as one of the most overbought stocks as the market grappled with seesawing volatility this week. —

Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 6 June 2026 Its cities to the south have long grappled with gaining equal access to emergency, healthcare and county services while facing disproportionate need, and an imbalance of jobs and housing. —

Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 3 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grappled

Verb

Up in the stands, fans waved their own flags — including some sneaked in over the objections of FIFA and the courts — and wrestled with emotions, as boos, howls and hisses rained down from all corners of the stadium.

— Rick Maese, Washington Post, 16 June 2026
The Seahawks wrestled the division from the Rams in Week 16 when quarterback Sam Darnold completed a do-or-die 2-pointer to tight end Eric Saubert for a 38-37 overtime victory.

— Jeff Howe, New York Times, 16 June 2026