grapple

1 of 3

noun (1)

grap·​ple ˈgra-pəl 

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

: grappling hook

grapple

2 of 3

verb

grappled; grappling ˈgra-p(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

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

grappler

ˈgra-p(ə-)lər 

noun

grappler

3 of 3

noun (2)

grap·​pler ˈgrap(ə)lə(r) 

plural -s

: one that grapples: such as

a

: grapple sense 1

b

: wrestler

Synonyms of grapple

Noun (1)

• grip
• grasp
• hold

Verb

• wrestle

Examples of grapple in a Sentence

Noun (1)

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

Noun

The sloptimists are betting that writing devoid of an inner purpose can rival the stuff ripped out of an author’s chest with a claw grapple. — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 10 June 2026

In a morose Season 2, the group, now shrunken to a fivesome, with Ginny and her baby sometimes in tow, grapples with life after Nick and what their respective next chapters might bring. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 28 May 2026

Verb

Meek, a 10-year-old Black girl, is grappling with her fears of nuclear Armageddon as more prosaic domestic concerns kick into high gear. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

In a society grappling with Darwinian evolution and the new discipline of psychology, some Westerners admired Buddhism’s long history of studying the mind’s activities. — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb

Middle English grappel grappling hook, from Old French *grappelle, diminutive of grape hook — more at grape

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for grapple

• appal
• apple
• chapel
• dapple
• pineapple

Kids Definition

grapple

1 of 2 noun

grap·​ple ˈgrap-əl 

: the act of grappling : grip, hold

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

grappler

-(ə-)lər 

noun