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
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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
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grapple
Kristina Karisch, The Hill, 7 May 2025
UnitedHealth Group profits fell to $3.4 billion in the second quarter as the giant provider of health benefits and services grapples with rising costs of providing health insurance to millions of Americans.
—Bruce Japsen, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
Yujia Zhu, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Such spending would boost demand – without solving any of the supply problems gripping an economy grappling with an aging population, an immigration crackdown and the trade war.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grapple
Noun
The Hill: An appeals court grapples with efforts to deport international students Rumeysa Ozturk and Mohsen Mahdawi.
—Kristina Karisch, The Hill, 7 May 2025
UnitedHealth Group profits fell to $3.4 billion in the second quarter as the giant provider of health benefits and services grapples with rising costs of providing health insurance to millions of Americans.
—Bruce Japsen, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
Verb
Yet nonprofits often grapple with high staff burnout, donor fatigue and mission drift.
—Yujia Zhu, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Such spending would boost demand – without solving any of the supply problems gripping an economy grappling with an aging population, an immigration crackdown and the trade war.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grapple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grapple
Noun
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Since achieving independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan has spent nearly half its life at war and is currently in the grip of a political crisis, after President Salva Kiir's government ordered the arrest of Vice President Riek Machar in March.—
George Obulutsa,
USA Today,
14 Aug. 2025
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Treatment to clear the blood of its grip is also a race against time.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Neal has been inconsistent and has had some health struggles.—
Brett Appley,
New York Times,
16 Aug. 2025
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Over four seasons — and soon five — audiences have seen his character struggle to maintain a bond with his son, lament over what his career could have been and then come close to a second chance, and then even fall in love with Loretta (Meryl Streep).—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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And saying no to a quick deal that Trump supports, with thoughts of a Nobel Peace Prize within his grasp, could push the mercurial US president to lash out, perhaps cutting off crucial intelligence sharing again, or military aid.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
18 Aug. 2025
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The only way to make it to Hell without dying, though, is to master a series of logical paradoxes, and the rules governing this fictional underworld rely on both magic and a faint grasp of Plato and Aristotle.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
This is expensive, but one new battle tank costs more than $10 million.—
ERIC SCHMIDT,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Aug. 2025
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Europe is on track for its worst wildfire season on record as swaths of the continent — including France, Spain, Albania, Portugal and Greece — battle raging, deadly fires as temperature soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But any events with large crowds are on hold at least for the next few months, Krutsch told reporters.—
Bridget Fogarty,
jsonline.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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All of the technical progress the Starship program needs to make to deploy thousands of Starlink satellites, land NASA astronauts on the Moon, and send humans to Mars remains largely on hold.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The dwindling embers of the Boise State-University of Idaho rivalry will receive a spark later this year.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
12 Aug. 2025
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This fight is the catalyst for one of the longest-running rivalries in the story.—
Devin Robertson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Every tackle, turnover, pressure, victorious duel, dribble and away error was roared on in an evening which could only reassure the Leeds faithful.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
19 Aug. 2025
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During the panel, Christensen looked back on the duo's most iconic face-off, the duel on Mustafar from Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The district was cut in half when TFA was banned from playoff contention due to rules violations and Holy Trinity of Melbourne opted to pull out of the FHSAA playoff system and join the Sunshine State Athletic Association.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Aug. 2025
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Morgan Wallen will not be submitting his music for consideration at the 2026 Grammy Awards, Wallen’s team confirms to The Hollywood Reporter, removing one of the biggest act in the business from contention.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grapple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grapple. Accessed 24 Aug. 2025.
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