1
as in wrestling
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
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2
as in grabbing
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 grappling
Health departments around the country are now grappling with sudden cuts to the federal funding that sustains their health data collection and health promotion activities.
—
Candice Johnson, The Conversation, 10 June 2026
As Kansas City prepares to host World Cup matches, the city is now grappling with the shooting on an international stage.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026
The growing demand At this moment, the world is grappling with disruptions to global supply chains for essential battery ingredients.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 June 2026
From Saint-Marc to Thailand to Miami to Ecuador Born and raised in Saint-Marc, a port city now grappling with escalating gang violence, Adé plays center back for LDU Quito in Ecuador.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for grappling
Candice Johnson, The Conversation, 10 June 2026
As Kansas City prepares to host World Cup matches, the city is now grappling with the shooting on an international stage.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026
The growing demand At this moment, the world is grappling with disruptions to global supply chains for essential battery ingredients.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 June 2026
From Saint-Marc to Thailand to Miami to Ecuador Born and raised in Saint-Marc, a port city now grappling with escalating gang violence, Adé plays center back for LDU Quito in Ecuador.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for grappling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grappling
Verb
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So many of the issues that Tuchel has been wrestling with over the past 18 months are the same that Southgate faced.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
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For many leadership teams, wrestling with a question this fundamental requires exercising long-dormant strategic muscles that have not been used at full strength in years.—
Carolyn Dewar,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
Verb
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The suspects asked if Apple Pay was accepted before grabbing a box of cash.—
Emily Shapiro,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
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Jose Alvarado also got physical in Game 4, grabbing one of Wembanyama's legs during a hard foul.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
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And the conflict’s drain on men of fighting age has had ramifications for the rest of the Russian economy, which is now dealing with a wider labor crisis.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
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But somehow, the Valkyries went cold and the Storm kept fighting.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
13 June 2026
Verb
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As many as 7 in 10 of those operators blamed tight visa rules, vetting of immigrants and a spike in the cost of catching a flight into the United States, brought on by the Iran war, as reasons for the lousy booking rates.—
Andre Mouchard,
Oc Register,
8 June 2026
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The Baltimore native dropped a rap video that is catching the eye of more than a million people.—
CBS Baltimore Staff,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Verb
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She was booked and charged with two counts of battery, robbery by snatching and criminal mischief.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
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Five people were arrested last week after a months-long investigation into a series of chain-snatching robberies in San Francisco, police said on Wednesday.—
Kassia Bonesteel,
CBS News,
27 May 2026
Verb
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He’s drawn to attempting to achieve things that his predecessors could not, including seizing territory for the United States (Greenland, for sure, but maybe Canada, too) and toppling antagonistic regimes (Venezuela, Iran, possibly Cuba).—
Jonathan Lemire,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2026
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The Scarborough Shoal, known in the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc and in China as Huangyan Dao, sits within Manila's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, but Beijing has maintained a near-constant presence around the shoal after seizing de facto control in a tense 2012 standoff.—
James LaPorta,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday in Texas, capturing the franchise's first championship since 1973 and sparking jubilant scenes throughout the city.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
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Want advice on capturing birds in flight?—
Sarah Kingdom,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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The seven-week-old puppies were passed out asleep after a long, hard day of being dogs, but that didn’t stop people from getting their hands on them.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
12 June 2026
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After the crowd was getting restless with some boos, Mexico has added to its lead.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grappling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grappling. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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