come to grips with

1. Confront squarely, deal decisively with, as in Her stories help the children come to grips with upsetting events. This term, sometimes put as get to grips with, employs grip in the sense of a “tight hold.” [Mid-1900s]

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, in Utah, witnesses, law enforcement and state and local leaders continue to come to grips with the trauma of the day.

From BBC

The film is a deep act of respect to the rites of one of the group’s most passionate fan bases, whose practices helped Fletcher’s survivors come to grips with the mystery of death in their own band.

From Los Angeles Times

“Climate warming is driving this drying of the Colorado River Basin for the long term, so we really need to come to grips with doing this great rebalancing act,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

So trust me when I say that I can’t quite come to grips with my new habit, one that I’m hugely embarrassed to be admitting in public.

From Slate

And, to be sure, we saw some of the worst of humanity in the early response to the game, as a toxic segment of the gaming community couldn’t come to grips with the centering of LGBTQ+ characters while leaving less significant roles to some of the popular characters from the first part.

From Los Angeles Times