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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.

Towns across the U.S. are grappling with the end of federal pandemic aid that propped up budgets, along with higher municipal costs and, in many cases, state-imposed revenue limits.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

They are all grieving the person they once thought they would be and grappling with the gulf between that and who they have become in order to provide for their children.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 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

So all of that together, it was quite a shock because my brain is grappling with how am I going to repair my face?

From BBC • Apr. 13, 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.