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
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
Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
A lot of Maeson's music grapples with his religious past; performing at the Mother Church of Country Music marks a homecoming in multiple ways.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 4 Nov. 2025
As the Louvre grapples with the fallout, the incident has become a touchstone for concerns over museum security around the world.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
As Lizzie’s daughter grapples with this sequence, Celeste tells her to stick to her own story.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025
In Post-Roe Texas, Amal, an Indian-American woman, grapples with an unexpected pregnancy when her path crosses with a newlywed Indian immigrant, Charulata.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2025
In the production, Donnell plays Father, the wealthy patriarch who grapples with the changing times.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
As Morgan and Jonah navigate shifting alliances, Clara grapples with her grief, compounded by her confusion as to what in God’s name is going on with her mom and uncle, plus a budding romance with local cool guy Miller (Mason Thames).
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2025
Throughout the series, Joel grapples not only with his father’s past actions but also with the tragic murder of his sister Sutton, which occurred 25 years ago.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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
Another grapples with a sensory sickness, unable to tell what’s real and what’s not.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
A lot of Maeson's music grapples with his religious past; performing at the Mother Church of Country Music marks a homecoming in multiple ways.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 4 Nov. 2025
As the Louvre grapples with the fallout, the incident has become a touchstone for concerns over museum security around the world.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
As Lizzie’s daughter grapples with this sequence, Celeste tells her to stick to her own story.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025
In Post-Roe Texas, Amal, an Indian-American woman, grapples with an unexpected pregnancy when her path crosses with a newlywed Indian immigrant, Charulata.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2025
In the production, Donnell plays Father, the wealthy patriarch who grapples with the changing times.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
As Morgan and Jonah navigate shifting alliances, Clara grapples with her grief, compounded by her confusion as to what in God’s name is going on with her mom and uncle, plus a budding romance with local cool guy Miller (Mason Thames).
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2025
Throughout the series, Joel grapples not only with his father’s past actions but also with the tragic murder of his sister Sutton, which occurred 25 years ago.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grapples
Noun
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Needless to say, Prince William's visit to Brazil offers him an opportunity to attempt a reset for the British monarchy, which for weeks now has been in the grips of a crisis about Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, and his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Heated grips, cruise control, a quickshifter, knuckle protectors, and a center stand all come as stock.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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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
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The struggles of being a parent and the struggles of your child are so understandably private.—
Rosemary Rossi,
Variety,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Rotunda is the real-life father of late pro wrestler Bray Wyatt and his brother, who wrestles as Bo Dallas.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
29 Oct. 2025
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In London Fog, Kaszas wrestles with anxiety, explores the many modern paths to parenthood, and reflects on growing up with a single immigrant mother — all while trying not to let success change him.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But the sustained fury grabs you.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Today, artificial intelligence grabs headlines and AI stocks are soaring.—
Drew O’Connor,
Nashville Tennessean,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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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
-
Few crosstown rivalries can compare to the one Hingham and Notre Dame Academy have developed the past few decades.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The history of contemporary music is littered with hundreds of rivalries both amicable and otherwise.—
Jason Newman,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 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,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Helm catches glimpses of the humans.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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At the same time, food aid was delayed for tens of millions of people as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits were caught up in legal battles related to the shutdown.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
10 Nov. 2025
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River Raisin National Battlefield Park in Monroe honors the history of the January 1813 battles of the War of 1812 and their aftermath.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grapples.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grapples. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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