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

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 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 As Hollywood grapples with AI‘s potential impact, Jodie Foster believes the tech is already very present in the industry. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 2 July 2026 The European Union rolled out two measures to protect its steel industry and limit e-commerce small parcels on Wednesday as the 27-nation bloc grapples with its staggering trade imbalance with China. — ABC News, 1 July 2026 Putin said a task force was working to alleviate the issue, which has grown into a serious crisis as the Kremlin grapples with simmering discontent on a range of issues. — Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 29 June 2026 But that initiative is now under strain as Crimea grapples with power outages and fuel shortages. — Zahra Ullah, CNN Money, 26 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grapples

Noun

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
The lightweight frames have rubber temple grips and adjustable nose pads.

— Terri Williams, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of grips

Noun

Through speeches, chants and signs, demonstrators drew a line between the struggles local facility employees face and those carried by farmworkers in the Philippines.

— Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
DeGrom suffered first-inning struggles before settling in, his pattern this season.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Definition of struggles

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

Noun

At a time when the news cycle seems to serve up nothing but conflict, crisis and woe, the World Cup offers shelter, a truly international event in which conflict is defined by long-term sports rivalries and questionable referee decisions.

— Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
The Golden State Warriors are reportedly looking to pair James with Stephen Curry, which would turn one of the NBA's greatest rivalries into two of the game's greatest stars fighting for their fifth title together.

— Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026

Definition of rivalries

Verb

Kessler catches an empty side screen involving Anfernee Simons and calmly plays in drop, backpedals smoothly, slides laterally for a stride, opens his hips and tricks Simons to shoot before swatting it away with his left hand.

— Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Any successful catches need to be killed humanely following strict state guidelines, as well as accurately documented.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 2 July 2026

Definition of catches

Noun

By the time Apple wins its lawsuit against OpenAI, the decisive battles in the war might already be over.

— Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 11 July 2026
Against Brazil, Solbakken’s side worked hard to leave their physically intimidating centre-forwards in one-on-one battles for long passes in behind.

— Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 11 July 2026