grapple

[ grap-uhl ]
/ ˈgræp əl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR grapple ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), grap·pled, grap·pling.

verb (used with object), grap·pled, grap·pling.

to seize, hold, or fasten with or as with a grapple.
to seize in a grip, take hold of: The thug grappled him around the neck.

noun

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of grapple

1520–30; apparently a frequentative of Old English gegrǣppian to seize; associated with grapnel

OTHER WORDS FROM grapple

grap·pler, nounin·ter·grap·ple, verb, in·ter·grap·pled, in·ter·grap·pling.un·grap·pled, adjective

Words nearby grapple

graphotype, grapnel, grappa, grappelli, grappier cement, grapple, grapple ground, grapple plant, grapple shot, grappling, grappling iron
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to grapple

contend, confront, cope, catch, encounter, scuffle, nail, hook, battle, close, nab, tussle, clash, fight, attack, take, grip, hug, combat, snatch

Example sentences from the Web for grapple

British Dictionary definitions for grapple

grapple
/ (ˈɡræpəl) /

verb

to come to grips with (one or more persons), esp to struggle in hand-to-hand combat
(intr foll by with) to cope or contendto grapple with a financial problem
(tr) to secure with a grapple

noun

any form of hook or metal instrument by which something is secured, such as a grapnel
  1. the act of gripping or seizing, as in wrestling
  2. a grip or hold
a contest of grappling, esp a wrestling match

Derived forms of grapple

grappler, noun

Word Origin for grapple

C16: from Old French grappelle a little hook, from grape hook; see grapnel
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012