grapple

[ grap-uhl ]

/ ˈgræp əl /

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

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

to use a grapple.

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

to engage in a struggle or close encounter (usually followed by with): He was grappling with a boy twice his size.

to try to overcome or deal (usually followed by with): to grapple with a problem.

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

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

a seizing or gripping.

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

a close, hand-to-hand fight.

Nearby words

Origin of grapple

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

SYNONYMS FOR grapple

5. struggle, contend, wrestle, cope, tussle.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR grapple ON THESAURUS.COM

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 grappler

I was at Plymouth dreading to hear of him; he sent in letters, but the Grappler was under orders for Portsmouth.
Persuasion|Jane Austen
When Timéa looked out of the cabin window, she only saw that Timar stood at the bow with a grappler in his hand.
Timar's Two Worlds|Mr Jkai
I saw it strike the cable steamship Grappler broadside on and capsize her.
The San Francisco Calamity|Various
At six, A.M., December 30th, all was in readiness for the Grappler to leave the harbour.
Narratives of Shipwrecks of the Royal Navy; between 1793 and 1849|William O. S. Gilly

British Dictionary definitions for grappler

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

the act of gripping or seizing, as in wrestling
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 grappler

grappler

1620s, agent noun from grapple (v.).

grapple

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.

grapple

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

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

noun

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Origin of grapple

Examples from the Web for grappler

grapple

verb

noun

Word Origin for grapple

grappler

grapple