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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of grappling
As parents determined to maintain a strong front while grappling with mounting pressures, Kabashi and Kodheli are extraordinary.
—
Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
But the plant’s union is still grappling with ongoing layoffs hitting 900 families.
—Sofi Zeman
january 29, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2026
Over the last five years, Americans have been grappling with an affordability crisis.
—Matthew Kandrach, Boston Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
The region is grappling with a winter storm that is paralyzing activity in the area with freezing precipitation on its roads, discouraging shoppers from heading out to stores.
—Brian Womack, Dallas Morning News, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grappling
Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
But the plant’s union is still grappling with ongoing layoffs hitting 900 families.
—Sofi Zeman
january 29, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2026
Over the last five years, Americans have been grappling with an affordability crisis.
—Matthew Kandrach, Boston Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
The region is grappling with a winter storm that is paralyzing activity in the area with freezing precipitation on its roads, discouraging shoppers from heading out to stores.
—Brian Womack, Dallas Morning News, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grappling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grappling
Verb
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Later footage shows multiple federal agents wrestling him to the ground.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Two members of the group can be seen wrestling with and striking The Hawk’s employees.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Thomas then appeared to quickly lunge at Leon, swiftly grabbing and lifting him up before body slamming the suspect to the ground.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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SpaceX was also famously involved in funding and operating the headline-grabbing Polaris Dawn crewed commercial mission in September 2024.—
Eric Lagatta,
AZCentral.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Graham, in particular, has been on a war path over the negotiations, accusing Republicans of not fighting hard enough to reclaim the narrative on immigration after the death of Alex Pretti last weekend.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Jan. 2026
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Madison Square Garden has issued a statement warning that anyone fighting at the arena could face a lifetime ban after multiple brawls broke out during an event on Friday.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Many eventually settled in North Beach, or Little Italy, and wound up catching salmon in the summer and crab in the winter.—
Becky Duffett,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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Laferriere tied the score just over two minutes later by taking Perry’s pass from behind the net and catching Hofer off the left post.—
Daily News,
Daily News,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Zayn winning in Montreal after eating an RKO and a Razor’s Edge, then snatching the pin on Priest with a Helluva Kick, gave you the biggest pop and the clearest storyline payoff of the night.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
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Masked agents snatching preschoolers off the street and sending them to Texas detention centers serves none of those purposes.—
Ryan Mancini,
The Hill,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But seizing current oil production is one thing; overhauling Venezuela's entire oil industry would be another.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
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Trump has occasionally discussed seizing Greenland since his first term but few initially took his threats seriously.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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By capturing and using the static electricity in compressed air, this system offers a sustainable way to generate electricity while also neutralizing hazardous charges that pose safety risks.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
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Like Dostoyevsky, Capote doesn’t portray his killers as demonic ciphers, instead capturing their messy complexity.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Those eight factors are eating healthy, being active, not smoking, getting high sleep quality, and managing weight, cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure.—
Lily Hautau,
CNN Money,
29 Jan. 2026
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Uhlaender, 41, won the race in skeleton, but the manipulation kept her from getting the requisite points to qualify for the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Games.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grappling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grappling. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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