1
as in grips
the act or manner of holding
was simply unable to break my opponent's viselike grapple and lost the wrestling match
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in struggles
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 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
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of grapples
Steve Drummond, NPR, 9 Sep. 2025
Ghesquière said the approach stood out as fashion grapples with the advances of new technologies.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The program grapples with the growing desire to disconnect, the impossibility of ever truly logging off, and the inherent privilege of stepping offline.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025
The film grapples with the idea that connection doesn’t require blood.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
And when the nation grapples with political divisions, civil unrest, social change or pandemics, these public lands – whether technically national parks or other elements in the wider system – are debated and fought over, protested in and used as an example.
—Jeffrey C. Hallo, The Conversation, 4 Sep. 2025
The release of the vacation photos sparked immediate outrage on social media, with critics slamming Moore for indulging in a luxury getaway while Maryland, and particularly Baltimore, grapples with rampant crime and economic struggles.
—Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 3 Sep. 2025
As Sin City grapples with a tourism decline, one Las Vegas icon is pointing fingers at overpriced casinos and hotels and the damage the COVID-19 virus left behind.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The film, on the other hand, directly grapples with the connections between real life and art, showing how the play (and his own role in it) became a vessel for Will Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) to confront his sorrow and help bring his wife Agnes (Jessie Buckley) out of hers.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2025
Poaching crisis continues The arrests come as South Africa, home to 80% of the world's remaining rhinos, grapples with an ongoing poaching crisis.
—Dakota Bennett, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
Ghesquière said the approach stood out as fashion grapples with the advances of new technologies.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
At the same time, resident Marcus (LaKeith Stanfield) approaches his 18th birthday, and grapples with the fear of aging out of the system.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The program grapples with the growing desire to disconnect, the impossibility of ever truly logging off, and the inherent privilege of stepping offline.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025
The film grapples with the idea that connection doesn’t require blood.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
And when the nation grapples with political divisions, civil unrest, social change or pandemics, these public lands – whether technically national parks or other elements in the wider system – are debated and fought over, protested in and used as an example.
—Jeffrey C. Hallo, The Conversation, 4 Sep. 2025
The release of the vacation photos sparked immediate outrage on social media, with critics slamming Moore for indulging in a luxury getaway while Maryland, and particularly Baltimore, grapples with rampant crime and economic struggles.
—Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 3 Sep. 2025
As Sin City grapples with a tourism decline, one Las Vegas icon is pointing fingers at overpriced casinos and hotels and the damage the COVID-19 virus left behind.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The film, on the other hand, directly grapples with the connections between real life and art, showing how the play (and his own role in it) became a vessel for Will Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) to confront his sorrow and help bring his wife Agnes (Jessie Buckley) out of hers.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2025
Poaching crisis continues The arrests come as South Africa, home to 80% of the world's remaining rhinos, grapples with an ongoing poaching crisis.
—Dakota Bennett, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grapples
Noun
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Indeed, both consumers and the auto industry need to come to grips with a stark reality, said Smoke.—
Ed Garsten,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
At least seven National Weather Service (NWS) offices broke low temperature records Monday morning as chilly weather grips much of the United States.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Girls in particular report drops in confidence, disrupted sleep, and heavier struggles with mental health.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Production shutdowns, layoffs BrightDrop's struggles come less than a year after GM folded the commercial vans into its Chevrolet brand in a bid to boost its performance as GM tries to gain ground against competitors, including Ford and Rivian, in the electric van space.—
Jackie Charniga,
Freep.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
D'Vontaye Mitchell's widow still wrestles with grief In her letter, Harmon said all four men need to be held accountable in Mitchell's death and that she is still traumatized by memory of receiving the call informing her that her husband was gone.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Treutelaar, who also wrestles and plays lacrosse, attended football camps at Georgia, Illinois, Kansas State, Northwestern and Ohio State this summer and plans to follow in the footsteps of his father, Justin, a former Purdue long snapper.—
Bobby Narang,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But the feeling when a film grabs hold remains the same—by a story, a character, a voice—that, never goes out of season.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The lilting Calle Malaga, Morocco’s official entry for the International Feature Film Oscar, is a joy largely because of its veteran star who envelops the screen and grabs a role of a career.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Hurricanes needed that to happen after the game nearly slipped out of their grasps.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
1 Sep. 2025
-
Halakhic rulings on divorce, medical emergencies, or conversion involve nuance that no present-day model grasps.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
During his over five-decade career, Lawler was part of many iconic rivalries against the likes of Bret Hart, Kerry Von Erich, Terry Funk, Andy Kaufman, and much more.—
Jeremy Hanna,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
-
No doubt, rivalries and disagreements still exist.—
David Mednicoff,
The Conversation,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Alphonse Pierre’s Off the Dome column covers songs, mixtapes, albums, scenes, snippets, movies, Meek Mill tweets, fashion trends—and anything else that catches his attention.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
11 Sep. 2025
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The center beam shows color and detail clearly, while the outer glow only catches movement.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The musical battles in K-Popped did require them to compete against each other.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Years of lobbying and court battles by the LGBTQ community have achieved a few successes over the past decade.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grapples.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grapples. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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