Synonyms of grappled

grappled

verb

past tense of grapple

1

as in wrestled

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

• wrestled
• fought
• tussled
• scuffled
• battled
• brawled
• contended
• combated
• rassled
• punched
• struck
• buffeted
• dueled
• hit
• sparred
• battered
• slugged
• skirmished
• clashed (with)
• bashed
• warred (against)
• boxed
• beat

2

as in grabbed

to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly

a crane grappled the sunken boat and hoisted it above water

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grabbed
• caught
• seized
• snatched
• landed
• captured
• trapped
• got
• snared
• rapped
• snagged
• nailed
• corralled
• hooked
• netted
• copped
• nabbed
• grasped
• snapped (up)
• bagged
• clutched
• collared
• took hold (of)
• held
• nobbled
• glommed
• gripped
• arrested
• roped
• apprehended
• clasped
• gloved
• secured
• cornered
• detained
• lassoed
• enmeshed
• ensnared
• entangled
• fisted
• wrested
• fastened (on)
• kidnapped
• meshed
• latched (on or onto)
• entrapped
• haltered
• abducted
• bayed
• rent
• spirited (away or off)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• missed
• released
• discharged
• freed
• liberated
• dropped
• loosened
• unhanded

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of grappled

Many health care CEOs received big pay raises while their hospital systems grappled with rising expenses after the pandemic, narrow operating margins, and statewide upheaval following the collapse of Steward Health Care. — Jonathan Saltzman — Boston Globe, STAT, 18 Aug. 2026

The change follows a round of cost-cutting measures last year, as the City Council grappled with a $3 million budget shortfall that prompted cuts across multiple departments. — Haley Parsley august 12, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Tufts saw Clancy 14 times between September 2022 to January 2023, repeatedly adjusting her prescriptions as Clancy grappled with anxiety, depression and insomnia. — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026

Why this is the case is the essential mystery geomorphologists have grappled with ever since. — Natalie Wolchover, Quanta Magazine, 10 Aug. 2026

It was built in the 1920s, when Washington was transformed by ambitious construction projects, even as the nation grappled with political division, racial conflict and clashes between religion and secularism. — Jennifer Tucker, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026

In their grief, Schreiber’s family has turned to the questions Jake grappled with his whole life. — Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026

Federal and state policymakers have grappled with these questions for over a decade, particularly following the rise of gig work and the economic disruptions of the pandemic. — Maria Flynn, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

The country has also grappled with several impactful drug shortages in recent years. — Chantelle Lee, Time, 23 July 2026