grapple 1 of 2

noun

ˈgra-pəl How to pronounce grapple (audio)
Definition of grapplenext
1
as in grip
the act or manner of holding was simply unable to break my opponent's viselike grapple and lost the wrestling match

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in struggle
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another after a grapple with his conscience, he confessed to having an affair

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grapple

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to wrestle
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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2
as in to grab
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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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 grapple
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 The jump in yields comes as Warsh, who was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday, grapples with an increasingly complicated inflation picture. — Jeff Cox,hugh Leask,sean Conlon,lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 15 May 2026
Verb
The school district of a wealthy suburb outside a major East Coast city may not need to grapple with the widespread school closings that urban districts are already experiencing. — Jesús Fernández-Villaverde, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2026 The Supreme Court grappled on Tuesday with a case involving poor working and living conditions for migrant workers at a New Jersey farm and how the federal government can collect damages for violations of the migrant worker program. — Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 10 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for grapple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grapple
  1. grip
  2. struggle
  3. wrestle
  4. grab
  5. grasp
  6. battle
  7. catch
  8. hold
Noun
  • The inversion is revealing of why governments have had a hard time coming to grips with the fertility crash.
    — Jesús Fernández-Villaverde, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Since April, voters have ousted Hungary’s Viktor Orban, ended Aleksandar Vucic’s long grip on Serbia and blocked the Bolsonaro family’s return in Brazil.
    — Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of grip
Noun
  • Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is going to start calling plays from the booth instead of the sideline amid his unit’s tremendous struggles.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Alternative data creates opportunities to assess people whom traditional scoring struggles to understand, but those opportunities come with responsibility.
    — Artem Lalaiants, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of struggle
Verb
  • School districts across the nation, including Chicago Public Schools, have been publicly wrestling with AI integration in the classroom amid ongoing concerns about cheating and short-circuiting student learning.
    — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 12 Nov. 2026
  • The News Senate Republicans spent this week wrestling through divisions, reelecting John Thune as their leader, and pledging to confirm conservative judges while avoiding a government shutdown during their last two months in the majority.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of wrestle
Verb
  • In a separate incident Sunday, Basabe flagged down police to report that a parking garage employee grabbed and threw his phone to the ground, the report shows.
    — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Testing spoons stored in a manner where lip contact surface contamination could happen when employee grabs the spoon from container.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of grab
Noun
  • The movie exudes a startling confidence, at once buoyant and grounded—the kind of assurance that can emerge when a young director’s grasp of the medium, however nascent, is in synch with his feel for his characters and their world.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026
  • And yet, in all three of those games, the Knights were well on their way to a win only to have victory snatched from their grasp.
    — Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of grasp
Noun
  • The letter was shared as Haitian police and foreign forces continue to battle gangs, with Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé announcing on X late Friday that a gang leader was killed, without identifying him.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The attention surfaced new accusations of misconduct against sitting members and thrust a spotlight onto others that were part of ongoing legal battles.
    — Anna Liss-Roy, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of battle
Verb
  • Political reporters could sleep late, have a long lunch, even catch a movie.
    — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2026
  • ThreadNanny Oven Liners provide a barrier between the oven bottom and potential splatter, catching debris before reaching the oven floor.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of catch
Noun
  • In my experience, what remains negotiable is often the size of the reserve within that risk band, the length of the hold period and the release schedule, though this can vary.
    — Dimitri Akhrin, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • It was saved from oblivion by Manet’s friend Edgar Degas, who managed to get a hold of all the fragments.
    — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of hold

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Cite this Entry

“Grapple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grapple. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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