✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

grappling

noun

grap·​pling ˈgra-p(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce grappling (audio)

Examples of grappling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Filmed here in July, the movie stars Jack Huston, nephew of Academy Award winner Angelica Huston, as a repressed university philosophy professor grappling with guilt over a past decision in his life. Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 21 Nov. 2025 The film saw Lofranco portray a young ex-convict grappling with gang violence and armed robbery, and reunited him with Taissa Farmiga. Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Nov. 2025 Shah has been busy grappling with staff frustration over his handling of the situation along with question marks over the influence of board member Robbie Gibb. Max Goldbart, Deadline, 17 Nov. 2025 Chromakopia finds Tyler, the Creator grappling with the realities of adulthood, and takes on a distinctly narrative approach. Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for grappling

Word History

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of grappling was in 1582

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grappling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grappling. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on grappling

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!