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Showing results for grappling. Search instead for Dappling.
Synonyms

grappling

American  
[grap-ling] / ˈgræp lɪŋ /

noun

  1. grapnel.

grappling British  
/ ˈɡræplɪŋ /

noun

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

  2. a hook used for securing something

"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

Other Word Forms

  • ungrappling adjective

Etymology

Origin of grappling

First recorded in 1590–1600; grapple + -ing 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The book draws from a period when Raicek was grappling with guilt and shame, and started spending time with new circles.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

It soon came to provide crucial expertise and support to thousands of local election officials grappling with increasingly sophisticated attacks.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026

They are questions I've been grappling with for three years.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

New Brunswick Mayor James Cahill told AFP that while data centers have become critical to modern economies, "communities across the country are grappling with how to integrate them locally."

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Before I could change my mind, I swung the grappling hook like a lasso.

From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.