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definitions

grapple

[ grap-uhl ]
/ ˈgræp əl /
||
SEE MORE 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

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RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

  1. grapline,
  2. grapnel,
  3. grappa,
  4. grappelli,
  5. grappier cement,
  6. grapple ground,
  7. grapple plant,
  8. grapple shot,
  9. grappler,
  10. grappling

Origin of grapple

1520–30; apparently a frequentative of Old English gegrǣppian to seize; associated with grapnel
Related formsgrap·pler, nounin·ter·grap·ple, verb, in·ter·grap·pled, in·ter·grap·pling.un·grap·pled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples 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 Formsgrappler, 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
Word Origin and History for grapple

grapple

n.

late 13c., from Old French grapil "hook" (see grapnel). The verb is 1520s, "seize and hold fast," from the noun. Sense of "battle, struggle (with)" is from 1590s. Related: Grappled; grappling.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper