get to grips with

phrase

British

: to begin to understand or deal with (something, such as a problem) in a direct or effective way

The government needs to get to grips with the unemployment problem.

Examples of get to grips with in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There were similarities between Monday’s game and that victory over Oliver Glasner’s side, with Everton struggling to get to grips with a wing-back system and narrow Leeds forwards. — Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026

City manager Ben Wilkinson was urging his midfield to push on and back up the initial press behind his forwards and Breckin responded, although the visitors were struggling to get to grips with the movement of Sunderland’s attacking midfielder Harrison Jones. — Rob Tanner, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025

The brutal death of Sean Astin’s Bob, as witnessed by Winona Ryder’s screaming Joyce, is genuinely horrific, after which our heroes get to grips with their nemesis and communicate with Will via Morse code. — Radhika Seth, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2025

Sonnenfeld pointed to earlier studies that suggest that CEOs picked from within take half as long to get to grips with the job. — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 14 Nov. 2025