1
as in grips
the act or manner of holding
was simply unable to break my opponent's viselike grapple and lost the wrestling match
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in struggles
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
after a grapple with his conscience, he confessed to having an affair
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in wrestles
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in grabs
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly
a crane grappled the sunken boat and hoisted it above water
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grapples
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 17 Dec. 2025
How One Battle After Another grapples with the best ways to wage a revolution.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 10 Nov. 2025
The matches are intense, with powerful throws and strategic grapples, and the crowd's energy adds to the electric atmosphere.
—NPR, 25 Oct. 2025
Ghesquière said the approach stood out as fashion grapples with the advances of new technologies.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2026
His announcement comes as the city grapples with a budget shortfall and makes unpopular moves to increase revenue, including charging for parking at Balboa Park.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Feb. 2026
Nina McConigley’s How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder grapples with these ideas, riffing on the idea of overthrow by narrowing the focus from national boundaries to familial ones.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Sophie considers accepting a position elsewhere in light of everything that has happened, while Benedict grapples with what choosing Sophie could mean for his social standing.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The district hopes these resources will help keep families in the district as Austin ISD grapples with recent enrollment losses.
—Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 27 Jan. 2026
Like every other long-running media institution, the BBC as a whole actively grapples with the existential challenge of attracting younger audiences, but remarkably, In Our Time has always been good with that demographic.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
Tracing Bundy’s reign of terror over the years, Rule grapples with the contradictions of the killer.
—Rebecca Hannigan, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
Chick-fil-A’s marketing blitz comes as the restaurant industry grapples with sliding traffic.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 5 Jan. 2026
Noun
As the entertainment industry in general and Hollywood in particular grapples with the heartbreaking deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner over the weekend, tributes to the beloved couple continue to pour in far and wide.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 17 Dec. 2025
How One Battle After Another grapples with the best ways to wage a revolution.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 10 Nov. 2025
The matches are intense, with powerful throws and strategic grapples, and the crowd's energy adds to the electric atmosphere.
—NPR, 25 Oct. 2025
Ghesquière said the approach stood out as fashion grapples with the advances of new technologies.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
Her ceiling has always been high, but the redshirt sophomore still grapples with inconsistencies that Auriemma has little tolerance for.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2026
His announcement comes as the city grapples with a budget shortfall and makes unpopular moves to increase revenue, including charging for parking at Balboa Park.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Feb. 2026
Nina McConigley’s How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder grapples with these ideas, riffing on the idea of overthrow by narrowing the focus from national boundaries to familial ones.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Sophie considers accepting a position elsewhere in light of everything that has happened, while Benedict grapples with what choosing Sophie could mean for his social standing.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The district hopes these resources will help keep families in the district as Austin ISD grapples with recent enrollment losses.
—Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 27 Jan. 2026
Like every other long-running media institution, the BBC as a whole actively grapples with the existential challenge of attracting younger audiences, but remarkably, In Our Time has always been good with that demographic.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
Tracing Bundy’s reign of terror over the years, Rule grapples with the contradictions of the killer.
—Rebecca Hannigan, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
Chick-fil-A’s marketing blitz comes as the restaurant industry grapples with sliding traffic.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 5 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grapples
Noun
-
As the rock glided down the ice sheet, Casper and his teammates slowly started to come to grips with the reality of the situation.—
Dane Mizutani,
Twin Cities,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Many had dual citizenship, a remnant of the time, not so long ago, when Venezuela was the prosperous and stable oil-rich country next door, while Colombia was in the grips of an intractable and deteriorating crisis.—
Daniel Alarcón,
New Yorker,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Starmer faces mounting pressure from Labor MPs over his judgment, with his premiership now in jeopardy amid broader government struggles and poor polling.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The 2025 August slide from the Padre with the biggest contract was especially unfortunate as the Padres (16-12 in August) were unable to fully capitalize on the Dodgers’ struggles (15-13 in August) to overtake them in the NL West.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
This season, silence is louder than words, loyalties are tested, and as each woman wrestles with the past, not everyone will make it to the other side the same.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
5 Jan. 2026
-
The police officer then wrestles Newman to the ground, and no shots are fired.—
Kate Reilly,
NBC news,
21 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Soon thereafter, a gear fishing pal of yours gifted you an old, unused fly rod, and that totally grabs a hold of you and completely directs the rest of your life.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The man grabs her and also takes her cell phone.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Through universal intelligent manipulation, the robot autonomously plans grasps, adjusts force in real time, and navigates obstacles using seamless hand–eye coordination.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The Hurricanes needed that to happen after the game nearly slipped out of their grasps.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
As a 10-time world champion who’s entering her fifth, and final, Winter Olympics, American hockey star Hilary Knight, 35, has played a key role in energizing one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The sport was built on rivalries.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Although the paint job catches the eye, the new stands, which cost about $87,000 each, have several features that will be helpful to lifeguards and beachgoers.—
Lois K. Solomon,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Your keen insight catches what others miss — even a small domestic shift can turn nagging stress into quiet stability that feeds body and mind!—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
While earlier phases of the Bay-Delta plan have already been litigated, much of the recent focus has been on lengthy negotiations and revisions to the plan, rather than on launching new courtroom battles.—
Chaewon Chung,
Sacbee.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The beef, which started in 1999, has spawned almost three decades of diss tracks and battles in real life and on social media.—
Assistant Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grapples.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grapples. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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