GRAPPLES Synonyms: 135 Similar and Opposite Words

grapples 1 of 2

noun

plural of grapple

as in grips

the act or manner of holding was simply unable to break my opponent's viselike grapple and lost the wrestling match

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in struggles

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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grapples

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of grapple

as in wrestles

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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as in grabs

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of grapples

Noun

Engineers will equip it with specialized tools, including grapples, cutters, and buckets. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Apr. 2026 Ritchson's 81 grapples with a severe case of survivor's guilt after watching his brother die in Afghanistan. — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2026 Four days of grapples, reversals and takedowns are on deck at Grand Casino Arena. — Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 24 Feb. 2026 As the entertainment industry in general and Hollywood in particular grapples with the heartbreaking deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner over the weekend, tributes to the beloved couple continue to pour in far and wide. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 17 Dec. 2025 How One Battle After Another grapples with the best ways to wage a revolution. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 10 Nov. 2025 The matches are intense, with powerful throws and strategic grapples, and the crowd's energy adds to the electric atmosphere. — NPR, 25 Oct. 2025 Ghesquière said the approach stood out as fashion grapples with the advances of new technologies. — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025

Verb

Amodei’s assessment of the dangers may be right or wrong, but an ad that grapples with those risks is arguably more honest than previous campaigns that present Claude as a tool for tinkerers and problem solvers. — Harry Booth, Time, 17 July 2026 Gideon said Rojas wanted to make sure that Durán, who was killed by an ICE officer on Monday, was remembered the right way as the nation grapples with two ICE shootings in less than a week. — Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 16 July 2026 The focus on those aspects of competition come amid concerns that the merger would lead to widespread layoffs as the combined company grapples with its debt burden. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 13 July 2026 Television City, one of the most famous studios in the entertainment industry where generations of TV shows have been created, is expected to hit the market again as its owner grapples with debt. — Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026 One part of the story that the new series intentionally grapples with is the Ingalls family’s relationship with the Osage Nation, since the family is illegally living on their land. — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 11 July 2026 Their 25th studio album grapples with the distance between the promising America of the band’s young imagination and today’s reality, since one of the sources of their prosperity has been their affinity for Stateside sounds and vibes. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 10 July 2026 Russia's economic situation Long queues have been seen at Russian petrol stations as the country grapples with a worsening fuel crisis. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 10 July 2026 Health care executive Frantz Berthaud grapples with these questions in a new First Opinion essay. — Allison Deangelis, STAT, 7 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grapples

Noun

The United States is in the grips of one of the most drastic reversals of green energy infrastructure currently underway on our increasingly warm world.

— Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 9 July 2026
But for all the celebrations, there are also serious safety considerations as potentially record heat grips much of the Midwest and East Coast.

— Steven Sloan, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026

Definition of grips

Verb

Season 1 reportedly will be centered around DC bad guy Gorilla Grodd, who often wrestles The Flash.

— Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 8 July 2026
Francis also wrestles occasionally for Boca Raton Championship Wrestling in South Florida and competed prior for Coastal Championship Wrestling in South and Central Florida.

— James Varsallone, Miami Herald, 24 June 2026

Definition of wrestles

Verb

The company said its proprietary data asset grabs millions of live data points across tens of thousands of factories and suppliers.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 17 July 2026
Objects d’art In the living room, a vintage motorcycle immediately grabs visitors’ attention.

— Annabelle Dufraigne, Architectural Digest, 14 July 2026

Definition of grabs

Noun

Through universal intelligent manipulation, the robot autonomously plans grasps, adjusts force in real time, and navigates obstacles using seamless hand–eye coordination.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 13 Jan. 2026
The Hurricanes needed that to happen after the game nearly slipped out of their grasps.

— Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 1 Sep. 2025

Definition of grasps

Verb

The interiors are purposefully focused around the driver, and the integrated gear-change gate beneath the floating dashboard immediately catches your eye.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 July 2026
What catches our attention are the breakouts from multi-month and multi-year trading ranges.

— Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 15 July 2026