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

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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

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

Derived Forms

• intergrapple
  verb
• grappler
  noun
• ungrappled
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has grappled
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have grappled
  perfect
• is grappling
  progressive 3rd person singular
• am grappling
  progressive 1st person singular
• has been grappling
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have been grappling
  perfect progressive
• are grappling
  progressive
• grapples
  singular 3rd person
• grappling
  participle

Past

• had grappled
  perfect
• was grappling
  progressive singular
• had been grappling
  perfect progressive
• were grappling
  progressive plural
• grappled
  participle
• grappled
  simple

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

They typically don’t hold on to big positions in a single company, and once SpaceX goes public, schools with larger positions will have to grapple with the volatility associated with public markets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

Equities sold off sharply this past Friday, as a strong jobs report pushed up bond yields and forced investors to grapple with the prospects of interest-rate hikes this year.

From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026

It’s leaving teachers to grapple with how to integrate artificial intelligence into the classroom—if at all.

From Slate • Jun. 5, 2026

And that’s something with which candidates are also having to grapple.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

He tries breaking out of my grapple as I rattle him, but no dice.

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera

Related Words

• confront
• contend
• cope