1
as in grip
the act or manner of holding
was simply unable to break my opponent's viselike grapple and lost the wrestling match
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in struggle
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
after a grapple with his conscience, he confessed to having an affair
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to wrestle
to seize and attempt to unbalance one another for the purpose of achieving physical mastery
two sumo wrestlers grappling like a pair of mammoth bears
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2
as in to grab
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly
a crane grappled the sunken boat and hoisted it above water
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grapple
Katie Campione, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
In her podcast, the high school senior grapples with her family's history and questions her own national identity.
—Steve Drummond, NPR, 9 Sep. 2025
Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2025
Hinako grapples with coming of age in Japan's Showa era.
—Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grapple
Noun
When Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace.
—Verb
As Missouri grapples with the fallout from the chaotic special session, the gerrymandered congressional map and the initiative petition overhaul are poised to face fierce resistance over the next several weeks.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for grapple
Noun
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Consciousness, human life, utterly in the grip of its own dreamlife, all our thinking and voicing caught in a web of surreal distortion, generated by our irrational yearning and apprehensions, our appetite for myth, our solipsism.—
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Its deep pockets ensure a secure hold on even thick mattresses, and the 360-degree elastic band offers extra grip — making light work of taking the cover on and off.—
Noun
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Intel’s struggles amplified last year, as a turnaround effort championed by former CEO Pat Gelsinger struggled.—
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In a clip taken by a guest, Anwar — who recently wrote an essay about her struggle with bipolar disorder — listened and didn’t judge.—
Verb
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Htoo managed to wrestle the knife away from his attacker, but not before sustaining deep lacerations to his shoulder, neck and hands.—
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Largely stepping back from wrestling in the early 2000s, Savage died of a sudden heart attack while driving in Florida, at just 58 years old, in May 2011.—
Verb
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Today is the last day to grab a lifetime license for Windows 11 Pro for only $13 (reg.—
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As the clock expired on a win Brian Daboll desperately needed, the New York Giants coach grabbed rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.—
Noun
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Fellow defensive tackle Daron Payne missed another on Atlanta’s subsequent series, and Jacob Martin let Robinson slip through his grasp on a second-and-1 run that turned into a four-yard gain.—
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However, with the game largely out of grasp before the first series of the second half, Hubbard and Dowdle continued to take a backseat on offense.—
Noun
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Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin return at power forward, while Aaron Nesmith is set to start on the wing, and Jay Huff and Isaiah Jackson battle for the center spot.—
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Democratic attorneys general are no strangers to using their offices to fight political battles.—
Verb
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Information that was missing also caught the attention of the experts Joan consulted.—
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During a two-point conversion play, Jennings caught the ball in the endzone, but was smashed between two Jaguars defenders.—
Noun
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The moment played against what could only be described as the music that is played when on hold with a company or medical center during a formal phone call.—
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Each one of those alerts puts millions of lives on hold – part of Russia’s strategy of terrorizing and exhausting Ukraine’s civilian population.—
Cite this Entry
“Grapple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grapple. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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