grapple

American  

[grap-uhl] / ˈgræp əl /

verb (used without object)

grappled, grappling

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

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verb (used with object)

grappled, grappling

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

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

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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

• 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

Live Nation’s results arrive even as consumers stay selective on spending elsewhere, as they grapple with higher prices.

From MarketWatch

More recently, it has grappled with the impact of tariffs and consumers navigating higher prices.

From MarketWatch

The result is a grand experiment in leadership as companies grapple with the rise of AI and the unraveling of longtime trade practices.

From The Wall Street Journal

Financial challenges are common at U.S. universities, which have grappled with shifting enrollment, rising costs and funding pressures as well as lingering effects of pandemic-era financial declines.

From Los Angeles Times

How did you and the writers grapple with why Evan and Bree would invite Stephen to the wedding after everything that happened in college?

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• confront
• contend
• cope