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
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to address
to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently
a medical ethicist who grapples with extremely difficult questions all the time
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of grapple
Katie Campione, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
In her podcast, the high school senior grapples with her family's history and questions her own national identity.
—Steve Drummond, NPR, 9 Sep. 2025
Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2025
Hinako grapples with coming of age in Japan's Showa era.
—Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grapple
Noun
When Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
In her podcast, the high school senior grapples with her family's history and questions her own national identity.
—Steve Drummond, NPR, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
As Missouri grapples with the fallout from the chaotic special session, the gerrymandered congressional map and the initiative petition overhaul are poised to face fierce resistance over the next several weeks.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2025
Hinako grapples with coming of age in Japan's Showa era.
—Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grapple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grapple
Noun
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Consciousness, human life, utterly in the grip of its own dreamlife, all our thinking and voicing caught in a web of surreal distortion, generated by our irrational yearning and apprehensions, our appetite for myth, our solipsism.—
Jane Ciabattari
September 25,
Literary Hub,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Its deep pockets ensure a secure hold on even thick mattresses, and the 360-degree elastic band offers extra grip — making light work of taking the cover on and off.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Intel’s struggles amplified last year, as a turnaround effort championed by former CEO Pat Gelsinger struggled.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
25 Sep. 2025
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In a clip taken by a guest, Anwar — who recently wrote an essay about her struggle with bipolar disorder — listened and didn’t judge.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
And their grasp of how billions of neurons and trillions of synaptic connections interact to form individual minds continues to deepen.—
Kevin Dickinson,
Big Think,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Baker’s synaesthesiac grasp of the tawny’s song, in which its voice can ruffle the fur of night and in which silence is luminous, may be reflected in the neural structure of the owl’s brain.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin return at power forward, while Aaron Nesmith is set to start on the wing, and Jay Huff and Isaiah Jackson battle for the center spot.—
Grant Afseth,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Democratic attorneys general are no strangers to using their offices to fight political battles.—
Jeremy Kohler,
ProPublica,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The moment played against what could only be described as the music that is played when on hold with a company or medical center during a formal phone call.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
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Each one of those alerts puts millions of lives on hold – part of Russia’s strategy of terrorizing and exhausting Ukraine’s civilian population.—
Daria Tarasova-Markina,
CNN Money,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Aztecs are 14-0 in the history of the rivalry.—
Bill Center,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Sep. 2025
-
But for two California Democrats, who may both have their eye on the same political prize when the Democratic primaries for president roll around in 2028, could this be a slight indication of a burgeoning political and personal rivalry?—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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On the right, United States international Chris Richards has grown in assurance, particularly in his ability to win aerial duels.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
21 Sep. 2025
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One of the weirdest races in their duels was the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which saw them both experience a tough run of luck completely independent from each other.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Obesity Market Pfizer is counting on Metsera’s pipeline of medicines to catapult it into contention with entrenched rivals, giving the company a stable of combinable therapies executives believe could change the standard of care for obesity in the years to come.—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
22 Sep. 2025
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Y’know, back when the Tigers had an American League Central lead somewhere between Jim Leyland (10) and Sparky Anderson (11) – 11½ games, to be precise (over the Kansas City Royals, finally eliminated from Central contention on Sunday).—
Ryan Ford,
Freep.com,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grapple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grapple. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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