Thesaurus

grapple

noun

1 the act or manner of holding was simply unable to break my opponent's viselike grapple and lost the wrestling match Synonyms clasp, clench, hold, grasp, grip, handgrip, handholdRelated Words anchorage, leverage, purchase; grab, seizure; foothold, footing, toehold; clinch, embrace, hugNear Antonyms release, relinquishment
2 an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another after a grapple with his conscience, he confessed to having an affair Synonyms ball game, battle, combat, competition, conflict, confrontation, contention, dogfight, duel, face-off, contest, match, rivalry, strife, struggle, sweepstakes (also sweep-stake), tug-of-war, war, warfareRelated Words horse race, nail-biter; showdown; clash, collision, discord, friction; argument, controversy, debate, disagreement, disputation, dispute, dissension (also dissention), quarrel, row, wrangleNear Antonyms concord, harmony, peace

verb

1 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 wrestle, rassle, scuffle, tussleRelated Words battle, clash (with), combat, contend, duel, fight, war (against); bash, batter, beat, buffet, hit, punch, slug, strike; box, spar; brawl, skirmish
2 to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly a crane grappled the sunken boat and hoisted it above water Synonyms bag, capture, collar, cop [slang], corral, get, glom, grab, catch, hook, land, nab, nail, net, nobble [British slang], rap, seize, snag, snap (up), snare, snatch, trapRelated Words glove, halter, lasso, rope; apprehend, arrest, detain; bay, corner; clasp, clutch, fasten (on), fist, grasp, grip, hold, latch (on or onto), secure; rend, wrest; enmesh (also immesh), ensnare, entangle, entrap, mesh; abduct, kidnap, spirit (away or off)Near Antonyms discharge, free, liberate, release; drop, loosen, unhandAntonyms miss