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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of grapples
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
Rebecca Hannigan, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
Chick-fil-A’s marketing blitz comes as the restaurant industry grapples with sliding traffic.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 5 Jan. 2026
Forever age 26, Vera Van Valkenburgh returns home to the Catskills after nearly two centuries, seeking release from immortality, but instead grapples with the aforementioned property developers and her estranged brother.
—Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026
Saks Global, the parent company of Neiman Marcus, announced on Friday its chief executive would step aside as the company grapples with financial strains associated with its 2024 acquisition of the iconic Dallas retailer.
—Nick Wooten, Dallas Morning News, 2 Jan. 2026
Its search comes as the city of Clearwater grapples with how to draw visitors to its quiet downtown, where entities connected to the Church of Scientology have snapped up prime real estate and left it fallow.
—Colbi Edmonds, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Jan. 2026
As Paul grapples with the weight of leadership, Mua d'dib will continue his mission to fulfill an ancient scheme.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
The other geopolitical concern on the agenda Monday was Syria, as its new president, Ahmed al Sharaa, a former al Qaeda jihadist who helped topple his predecessor, Bashar Assad, grapples with more extremist forces in his country.
—Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 29 Dec. 2025
Raised performing in his parents' prison ministry, Maeson's music often grapples with his religious upbringing.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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
Tracing Bundy’s reign of terror over the years, Rule grapples with the contradictions of the killer.
—Rebecca Hannigan, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
Chick-fil-A’s marketing blitz comes as the restaurant industry grapples with sliding traffic.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 5 Jan. 2026
Forever age 26, Vera Van Valkenburgh returns home to the Catskills after nearly two centuries, seeking release from immortality, but instead grapples with the aforementioned property developers and her estranged brother.
—Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026
Saks Global, the parent company of Neiman Marcus, announced on Friday its chief executive would step aside as the company grapples with financial strains associated with its 2024 acquisition of the iconic Dallas retailer.
—Nick Wooten, Dallas Morning News, 2 Jan. 2026
Its search comes as the city of Clearwater grapples with how to draw visitors to its quiet downtown, where entities connected to the Church of Scientology have snapped up prime real estate and left it fallow.
—Colbi Edmonds, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Jan. 2026
As Paul grapples with the weight of leadership, Mua d'dib will continue his mission to fulfill an ancient scheme.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
The other geopolitical concern on the agenda Monday was Syria, as its new president, Ahmed al Sharaa, a former al Qaeda jihadist who helped topple his predecessor, Bashar Assad, grapples with more extremist forces in his country.
—Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 29 Dec. 2025
Raised performing in his parents' prison ministry, Maeson's music often grapples with his religious upbringing.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grapples
Noun
-
But in the second season of the series, which wrapped last Sunday, a new sense of uncertainty, reflection, and maturity grips the central characters, making for even better television.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The changes to the federal vaccine schedule come as Rhode Island is in the grips of a severe flu season, which has led hospital systems to institute masking requirements at their medical facilities.—
Jonny Williams,
The Providence Journal,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But behind closed doors, the then-couple were facing marital struggles, as Betty claimed in her 2015 memoir, Telling On Myself.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The struggles of being a parent and the struggles of your child are so understandably private.—
Rosemary Rossi,
Variety,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
This season, silence is louder than words, loyalties are tested, and as each woman wrestles with the past, not everyone will make it to the other side the same.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
5 Jan. 2026
-
The police officer then wrestles Newman to the ground, and no shots are fired.—
Kate Reilly,
NBC news,
21 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
But as the ball arrives the defender grabs the jersey with the right hand and pulls the defender down.—
Adam Lichtenstein,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Jan. 2026
-
As one officer grabs at her door handle, a third officer who had circled to the front of the SUV from the opposite side draws his gun.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
His team first examined 30 natural hand grasps, from holding a small bead to lifting a large bottle.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Dec. 2025
-
The Hurricanes needed that to happen after the game nearly slipped out of their grasps.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Anyone who has followed the devastating violence in California’s prisons knows that gang rivalries trigger a lot of the bloodshed.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
-
With the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers set to face off in Saturday nights' playoff game, some local couples are hoping love can overcome even the biggest of rivalries.—
Marissa Perlman,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Australian Geographic reports that the bird catches prey midair during hunting.—
Marina Watts,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Despite these close ties, the identity of the murderer catches her completely by surprise.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The facility, which is surrounded by the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve, also has led to separate legal battles in federal court.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Soon the scene devolved into individual battles between officers and rioters.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grapples.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grapples. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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