grapple

American  

[grap-uhl] / ˈgræp əl /

verb (used without object)

• grapples,
  present (3rd person singular)
• grappled,
  past participle,  past
• grappling
  present participle

1. 

   to hold or make fast to something, as with a grapple.

2. to use a grapple.

3. to seize another, or each other, in a firm grip, as in wrestling; clinch.

4. to engage in a struggle or close encounter (usually followed bywith ).

   He was grappling with a boy twice his size.

5. to try to overcome or deal (usually followed bywith ).

   to grapple with a problem.

   Synonyms:

   tussle, cope, wrestle, contend, struggle

---

verb (used with object)

• grapples,
  present (3rd person singular)
• grappled,
  past participle,  past
• grappling
  present participle

1. to seize, hold, or fasten with or as with a grapple.

2. to seize in a grip, take hold of.

   The thug grappled him around the neck.

noun

• grapples
  plural

1. a hook or an iron instrument by which one thing, as a ship, fastens onto another; grapnel.

2. a seizing or gripping.

3. a grip or close hold in wrestling or hand-to-hand fighting.

4. a close, hand-to-hand fight.

grapple British  

/ ˈɡræpəl /

verb

1. to come to grips with (one or more persons), esp to struggle in hand-to-hand combat

2. to cope or contend

   to grapple with a financial problem

3. (tr) to secure with a grapple

---

noun

1. any form of hook or metal instrument by which something is secured, such as a grapnel

2. 1. the act of gripping or seizing, as in wrestling

   2. a grip or hold

3. a contest of grappling, esp a wrestling match

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• grappler
  noun
• intergrapple
  verb
• ungrappled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• grapples
  plural

Participles

• grappling
  present
• grappled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• grapple
  simple
• grapples
  simple
• have grappled
  perfect
• has grappled
  perfect
• am grappling
  progressive
• are grappling
  progressive
• is grappling
  progressive
• have been grappling
  perfect progressive
• has been grappling
  perfect progressive

Past

• grappled
  simple
• had grappled
  perfect
• was grappling
  progressive
• were grappling
  progressive
• had been grappling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will grapple
  simple
• will have grappled
  perfect
• will be grappling
  progressive
• will have been grappling
  perfect progressive

---

Etymology

Origin of grapple

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

---

Explanation

When you wrestle with something — literally or figuratively — you grapple with it, or try to overcome it. If you trace the word grapple back to its French roots, you’ll discover that the word originally referred to "a grape hook," a pronged tool used to harvest grapes. If you think about how awkward it would be to harvest grapes, with the individual grapes ready to scatter everywhere, it makes sense that grapple eventually evolved to include a verb form used to describe struggling with something unruly. You might grapple with a budget shortfall, grapple for answers, grapple with a wrestling opponent, or grapple with a new technology.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grapple grapples grappled grappling

It’s a reminder of “what it means to grapple with a bureaucracy that wasn’t intended for you.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

As regulators around the world grapple with reining in, or even banning, social media use for teens, American lawsuits have focused on allegations of addictive design and deceptive practices by social media companies.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment will be 3.6% in 2027, up from 2.8% this year, as older people grapple with higher costs for healthcare, housing and groceries.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

While Indonesia is among many countries to grapple with wildfires each summer, this year's were more intense due to the El Niño ocean warming phenomenon, which makes weather patterns more volatile and intense.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

She has seen her grapple with the gut-wrenching decision to leave.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

The latest figures mark a significant milestone as China grapples with an ageing population that could have implications for families, pensions and healthcare spending, analysts say.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

Japan has registered a record number of foreigners living in the country this year despite growing anti-immigration sentiment, as the country grapples with problems caused by an ageing and shrinking population.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

A fresh approach to the dot plot and the Fed’s broader communication tools is overdue, and the timing is good as the central bank grapples with new and evolving challenges.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Hunt Transport Services is looking to raise prices as it grapples with a steep increase in costs, the Journal’s Elias Schisgall writes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

As they drew near enough to use their grapples, the captain mounted the rail.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Meta has long grappled with data privacy lawsuits and complaints.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

The stock fell again during in 1998 as markets grappled with turmoil over Russia defaulting on its debt and the collapse of hedge fund Long-Term Capital Management.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026

Sales shot up, boosting the company while it grappled with stagnating sales in the U.S. and other developed markets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

She said demand for help from the charity had risen as households grappled with multiple financial pressures.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

But it was only a matter of time before Dauntless overtook them and grappled.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

The former Renault chief, who took over last year, is grappling with industry-wide pressure amid weaker demand from China and worries about consumer spending across the global economy.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

But a long list of challenges awaits: grappling with worst-in-the-nation unemployment, solving the housing crisis, and preparing for and responding to seemingly endless fires, floods and other natural disasters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

Investors are grappling with mounting doubts around AI, Deutsche Bank’s Jim Reid wrote in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Investors are now grappling with the prospect that the period of peak earnings growth has passed.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

Using her right hand, she threw the grappling hook as high and as hard as she could, and waited to see if it would catch onto something.

From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• confront
• contend
• cope

---