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
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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
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Recent Examples of grappling
Even prior to the latest tariff hikes took effect, companies worldwide have been grappling with limited production due to severe droughts in Brazil and Vietnam, according to CNBC.
—
Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Sacramento-area college students and the leaders of those institutions are grappling with killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a talk at Utah Valley University Tuesday.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Two current and nine former ICE officials told Reuters the agency is grappling with burnout and frustration among personnel as agents struggle to keep pace with the administration’s aggressive enforcement agenda.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Under Taliban rule, Afghanistan is already grappling with a large-scale humanitarian crisis due to food insecurity, made worse by recent mass deportation efforts by Pakistan and Iran.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grappling
Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Sacramento-area college students and the leaders of those institutions are grappling with killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a talk at Utah Valley University Tuesday.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Two current and nine former ICE officials told Reuters the agency is grappling with burnout and frustration among personnel as agents struggle to keep pace with the administration’s aggressive enforcement agenda.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Under Taliban rule, Afghanistan is already grappling with a large-scale humanitarian crisis due to food insecurity, made worse by recent mass deportation efforts by Pakistan and Iran.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grappling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grappling
Verb
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Jesse and Jasper spend a lot of time snuggling, while Blaze loves playing and wrestling with his older brother.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
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Born and raised in Nova Scotia as Wade Douglas Bowles, Rocky Johnson started wrestling in 1964 in and around Toronto.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After grabbing an early lead Friday evening, the Royals were unable to match their hosts’ prolific offense on Friday.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
13 Sep. 2025
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The owner squeezed her hands into the mix of kittens, moving the babies and grabbing the one that did not belong, which turned out to be a tiny mouse.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The approximate number of Americans who died fighting the Nazis in World War II.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
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Proctor also investigated the Walshe case and other criminal cases in Norfolk County and those defense attorneys are fighting to get information from Proctor’s phone backup archives that could exonerate their clients.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Simultaneously, Foden attacks the vacant space, catching Manuel Ugarte off guard.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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Emeka Egbuka delivered on the preseason hype in his first NFL game, catching four passes for 67 yards and two scores.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Three Los Angeles County men have been arrested for allegedly snatching high-end jewelry from victims who were walking to their vehicles in Fullerton earlier this year, police said.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
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One said bump is a particularly nasty, literal wig-snatching fight between Vida and Chi-Chi.—
Jen Juneau,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Despite the slowdown in Europe’s soft denim sales, Turkish mill Isko is seizing new growth opportunities across Asia.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
9 Sep. 2025
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This one was about seizing one of the sweetest victories of his legendary career … whether the old quarterback wanted to admit it or not.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The camera was also capturing a growing blurring of the boundaries between the Japanese and Taiwanese urban elite in colonial society.—
H.M.A. Leow,
JSTOR Daily,
13 Sep. 2025
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Instead of using a single bulky lens, the camera employs a thin mask embedded with dozens of tiny lenslets, each capturing a unique perspective of the same object.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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So, Hilleary will be in the odd position of facing a significant pay cut for getting a big promotion on Capitol Hill.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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How would Trump react to his administration now getting to decide the fate of CNN?—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grappling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grappling. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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