1
as in wrestling
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
Relevance
2
as in grabbing
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
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 grappling
Each spoke of their grief and grappling with the loss of Vaughan.
—
Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2025
When Scout died, Watson was left grappling with an emptiness that followed her home each day.
—Ashley Vega, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
But their initial animosity grows more complicated as the two men, both single fathers grappling with grief, guilt and rage, start to see each other as something more than cat or mouse.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
Platforms are grappling with how to handle them.
—John Ruwitch, NPR, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grappling
Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2025
When Scout died, Watson was left grappling with an emptiness that followed her home each day.
—Ashley Vega, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
But their initial animosity grows more complicated as the two men, both single fathers grappling with grief, guilt and rage, start to see each other as something more than cat or mouse.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
Platforms are grappling with how to handle them.
—John Ruwitch, NPR, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grappling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grappling
Verb
-
She has been effectively retired from wrestling for over a decade, with her last match taking place on the Raw after WrestleMania 31 in March 2015.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
-
As churches hold religious services this weekend, celebrants across the country are wrestling with how to help their congregations cope with and make sense of the tragedy at the Annunciation Church.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
More than a month after his death, Ozzy Osbourne’s music has largely slipped away from the Billboard charts following the headline-grabbing news that one of rock’s founding fathers had passed away.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
SpaceX was also famously involved in funding and operating the headline-grabbing Polaris Dawn crewed commercial mission in September 2024.—
Eric Lagatta,
AZCentral.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The emotional ballast of the film — Davidson’s bond with Dottie Achenbach (a wonderful Maxine Peake), the mother of one his childhood friends, who is also fighting her own health battles — also suffers from moments of incoherence, but the immense power of that bond goes a long way.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
-
And while Johnson’s team is still fighting to climb NASCAR’s competitive ladder, results are starting to follow.—
Greg Engle,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Now, the Bears are close to catching back up, as the score is 27-24 at the time of this writing.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
-
But despite catching all of that on TV, a lot of the fun was happening in the audience and backstage, away from the cameras.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
When the Green Line train pulled into a station, Soria pushed Flores onto the train platform before snatching money out of the hands of a man and taking off running, FOX 32 Chicago reported.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Just as Bay crashed the party in Chicago by snatching three points in their record attendance game, the Washington Spirit did the same to Bay, netting three unanswered goals in the first half.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but has stated that its forces are fighting militants on the outskirts of Gaza City, destroying tunnels and militant infrastructure and seizing weapons.—
Emily Rose,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Tel Aviv — The Israeli security cabinet convened on Sunday to review plans for seizing control of Gaza City, as the government faces mounting international pressure and unprecedented domestic opposition, even from Israel’s own security leaders.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Whether a user is creating video for social channels, producing content for clients or capturing everyday moments, the new Premiere app will provide the same sort of tools that are already relied on by millions of content creators around the world.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Hanson has always been a great fashion photographer, especially good at capturing feminine exuberance, but the span of time that has passed since these pictures were taken now establishes them as bona-fide historical artifacts to boot.—
Jillian Steinhauer,
New Yorker,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
After the game, Witt was getting treatment and a further evaluation.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
-
To give so many deaf people the opportunity to work on a high-end TV drama was a really cool side bonus to getting Reunion made – not to mention the dozens of fantastic deaf actors who came in to play various roles in the show.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grappling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grappling. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share