1
a
: the act or an instance of grappling
b
: a hand-to-hand struggle
locked in a desperate grapple with his foe
c
: a contest for superiority or mastery
their grapple with tyranny
2
: an instrument for grabbing or gripping something: such as
a
: a bucket (as on an excavating machine) having hinged jaws
b
grappled; grappling
ˈgra-p(ə-)liŋ 
1
: to seize with or as if with a grapple (see grapple entry 1 sense 2)
2
: to grasp with the hands : wrestle
3
: to bind closely
1
: to make a ship fast with a grappling hook
2
: to begin to understand or deal with something in a direct or effective way
Officials grappled with an increase in violent crimes.
3
: to use a grapple
Examples of grapple in a Sentence
Noun
was simply unable to break my opponent's viselike grapple and lost the wrestling match
after a grapple with his conscience, he confessed to having an affair
Verb
two sumo wrestlers grappling like a pair of mammoth bears
a crane grappled the sunken boat and hoisted it above water
Recent Examples on the Web
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 17 Dec. 2025
But now Lula, Petro and, at least for the next week, Boric, find themselves at odds with the emboldened administration in the White House, whose own late-term grapple with COVID served as an obstacle to reelection only to stage a massive comeback in last year's vote.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Dec. 2025
But now as the country grapples with an acute backlog of cases waiting to be heard, the right to trial by jury is being curtailed, in what legal experts warn could lead to less fair rulings.
—Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grapple
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Noun
As the entertainment industry in general and Hollywood in particular grapples with the heartbreaking deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner over the weekend, tributes to the beloved couple continue to pour in far and wide.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 17 Dec. 2025
But now Lula, Petro and, at least for the next week, Boric, find themselves at odds with the emboldened administration in the White House, whose own late-term grapple with COVID served as an obstacle to reelection only to stage a massive comeback in last year's vote.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Verb
The film largely focuses on their eldest, Jack (Hunter McCracken), who is grappling with his parents' opposing philosophies and figuring out his path in life.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Dec. 2025
But now as the country grapples with an acute backlog of cases waiting to be heard, the right to trial by jury is being curtailed, in what legal experts warn could lead to less fair rulings.
—Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grapple
Cite this Entry
“Grapple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grapple. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
grapple
2 of 2 verb
grappled; grappling
ˈgrap-(ə-)liŋ
1
: to seize or hold with or as if with a hooked instrument
2
: to seize and struggle with one another
3
: to attempt to deal
grappled with a problem
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