grapples (with)

verb

present tense third-person singular of grapple (with)
as in addresses
to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently a medical ethicist who grapples with extremely difficult questions all the time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grapples (with)
  1. addresses
  2. manages
  3. handles
  4. manipulates
  5. treats
  6. takes
  7. negotiates
Verb
  • The state's Clean Slate legislation addresses the criminal records system itself, including procedures for identifying missing dispositions and correcting incomplete criminal history information.
    — Alonzo Martinez, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The ordinance only addresses parking lots, and makes no mention of changes to street parking near the beach.
    — Ashley Mackin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of addresses
Verb
  • Silver Media Group, founded by Golden Horse Award-winning producer Chan Gin Kai, manages a portfolio of more than 1,500 intellectual property assets spanning film, animation, games and graphic novels.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Aug. 2026
  • If the transmission line wins approval, the cost of the project will be spread among all ratepayers served by the California Independent System Operator, which manages about 80% of the state’s electrical grid.
    — Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of manages
Verb
  • At night, Voltaire handles intimate, high-production shows (pop divas and burlesque), while TAO and other venues are for the party people.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The final-mile carrier then handles what is essentially a local shipment, rather than transporting the package across the country itself.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of handles
Verb
  • The drug was created by evil businessman Roland Daggett who manipulates Hagen to take over Wayne Enterprises.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 23 July 2026
  • In retaliation, Artemis manipulates the winds so that Agamemnon and his fleet can’t sail to Troy.
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 20 July 2026
Definition of manipulates
Verb
  • Traveling from Seoul, Sanghee is accompanied by her brother (Shin Seokho), whom her mother treats with markedly more respect.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The actor and beauty entrepreneur treats her hair like a daily ritual, customizing it into Pinterest-worthy styles—geometric bobs!
    — Brianna J. Heath, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of treats
Verb
  • That effectively takes a large portion of the National Guard off the table, narrowing the pool of available units at a time when the force is also balancing deployments and other commitments overseas.
    — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Its structure takes an unusual approach to underwater vehicle construction.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of takes
Verb
  • Richard Friedman, an employment attorney who negotiates contracts and separation agreements for executives, said Forbes was within its rights.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Through the partnership, Chalice uses data to determine which people are the most likely to be receptive to One A Day online display ads, then its AI negotiates prices for the ads with Amazon’s DSP.
    — Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of negotiates
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.

Browse Nearby Words

grapples
grapples (with)
grapple (with)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grapples (with).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grapples%20%28with%29. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All