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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of grapple
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 24 Feb. 2026
The actor quickly wrapped his legs around Fallon’s sides and pulled his body and arms into a grapple.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Jan. 2026
Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
Magid delivers its recommendations as TV-news grapples with some severe challenges.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grapple
Noun
Four days of grapples, reversals and takedowns are on deck at Grand Casino Arena.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 24 Feb. 2026
The actor quickly wrapped his legs around Fallon’s sides and pulled his body and arms into a grapple.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Jan. 2026
Verb
Willard parents have been forced to grapple with a number of administrative changes in recent months, most notably late last year when the district decided to terminate the school’s Two-Way Immersion (TWI) program at the end of the 2025-26 school year.
—Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
Magid delivers its recommendations as TV-news grapples with some severe challenges.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grapple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grapple
Noun
-
By 1938, as the Nazis tightened their grip on Germany, Wolfgang’s family made plans to leave, and most of them headed to Switzerland.—
Jackie Hajdenberg,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Iran's grip on the strait has sent oil prices skyrocketing and given rise to one of the worst global energy crises in decades.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There have been struggles in her first full season at Chelsea but Wiegman trusts her enormously, handing her the captain’s armband in Williamson’s absence for her 100th cap in the 1-0 win over Spain.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
In recent years, Congress has shielded wildfire settlements from taxes, but legislation to do so was short-lived and a struggle to pass, leaving gaps between laws that risk saddling some survivors with a possible tax burden on their compensation.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Having wrestled the title momentum away from Arsenal this week, City are the obvious answer here, but there are reasons for optimism in north London.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Lawmakers in Connecticut have wrestled with how exactly to regulate the issue, particularly in the wake of reports that grocery stores in the state were using facial recognition technology to track shopper activity.—
P.R. Lockhart,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At one point, one of his attackers grab’s Pierre’s hoodie and throws him to the ground.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The cat lunged, grabbed Bender’s arm, and just as quickly, the hunter shook it off, and the animal bolted.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Chris Shays, who lost to her in the 2012 Republican primary, was less impressed by her grasp of policy.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Unlike on Earth, in space, if an astronaut lets an object slip from their grasp, the consequences are not just different (that object doesn’t drop to the floor) but also possibly dire.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Avoid ego battles with parents and bosses.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Find out for yourself with its chaotic four-on-four battles.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Rushing declined to say exactly what the cameras caught him saying.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Funny enough, the Mets’ eighth inning started with Soto getting caught stealing.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Nerves come into play, desperation takes hold, and, for the players, reputations are there to be made as title chases and relegation scraps enter their most crucial stretch.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
-
While markets expect the committee to be on hold the rest of the year, officials themselves still have penciled in a cut and Warsh has expressed support for lower rates as well.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grapple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grapple. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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