grapple
Americanverb (used without object)
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to hold or make fast to something, as with a grapple.
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to use a grapple.
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to seize another, or each other, in a firm grip, as in wrestling; clinch.
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to engage in a struggle or close encounter (usually followed bywith ).
He was grappling with a boy twice his size.
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to try to overcome or deal (usually followed bywith ).
to grapple with a problem.
verb (used with object)
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to seize, hold, or fasten with or as with a grapple.
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to seize in a grip, take hold of.
The thug grappled him around the neck.
noun
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a hook or an iron instrument by which one thing, as a ship, fastens onto another; grapnel.
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a seizing or gripping.
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a grip or close hold in wrestling or hand-to-hand fighting.
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a close, hand-to-hand fight.
verb
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to come to grips with (one or more persons), esp to struggle in hand-to-hand combat
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to cope or contend
to grapple with a financial problem
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(tr) to secure with a grapple
noun
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any form of hook or metal instrument by which something is secured, such as a grapnel
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the act of gripping or seizing, as in wrestling
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a grip or hold
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a contest of grappling, esp a wrestling match
Other Word Forms
- grappler noun
- intergrapple verb
- ungrappled adjective
Etymology
Origin of grapple
1520–30; apparently a frequentative of Old English gegrǣppian to seize; associated with grapnel
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Long-distance drivers grapple with unpredictable schedules and pay as well as insufficient time at home.
Stocks have churned through the first two months of 2026, but the market has made little headway as investors grapple with the future of the AI trade, tariffs, interest rates, and more.
From Barron's
Sales growth has slumped over the past year amid a slowdown in advertising spending, as companies grapple with tariffs and macroeconomic uncertainty.
From Barron's
Nuuly’s growth is notable for the apparel-rental market, where some companies have grappled with high costs even as popularity for the services has grown.
But housing stocks across the spectrum were down on Monday as investors grappled with bigger concerns than financing costs.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
