grapple
to hold or make fast to something, as with a grapple.
to use a grapple.
to seize another, or each other, in a firm grip, as in wrestling; clinch.
to engage in a struggle or close encounter (usually followed bywith): He was grappling with a boy twice his size.
to try to overcome or deal (usually followed by with): to grapple with a problem.
to seize, hold, or fasten with or as with a grapple.
to seize in a grip, take hold of: The thug grappled him around the neck.
a hook or an iron instrument by which one thing, as a ship, fastens onto another; grapnel.
a seizing or gripping.
a grip or close hold in wrestling or hand-to-hand fighting.
a close, hand-to-hand fight.
Origin of grapple
1Other words for grapple
Other words from grapple
- grappler, noun
- in·ter·grap·ple, verb, in·ter·grap·pled, in·ter·grap·pling.
- un·grap·pled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for grapple
/ (ˈɡræpəl) /
to come to grips with (one or more persons), esp to struggle in hand-to-hand combat
(intr foll by with) to cope or contend: to grapple with a financial problem
(tr) to secure with a grapple
any form of hook or metal instrument by which something is secured, such as a grapnel
the act of gripping or seizing, as in wrestling
a grip or hold
a contest of grappling, esp a wrestling match
Origin of grapple
1Derived forms of grapple
- grappler, noun
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
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