grapple
verb (used without object)
to hold or make fast to something, as with a grapple.
had grappled
-
past perfectof grapple.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
But by the end of last year, he had grappled with the ethical quandary and come out on the side of trying something different.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2025
Kaine, 64, said he had grappled with the decision to run for a third term because of the length of the campaign and six-year term.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 20, 2023
The Scottish government said it understood the health board had grappled with challenges.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2022
The show confirmed what critics had grappled with for decades.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 26, 2021
Then he come up—his long pennant trailing overside—his waistcloths and netting tore all to pieces where the Spanishers had grappled, and his sides black-smeared with their gun-blasts like candle-smoke in a bottle.
From Rewards and Fairies by Rudyard Kipling
