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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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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Instead of wrestling with fragmented software setups, companies can now deploy these tools seamlessly across voice, chat, email and SMS channels.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
16 June 2026
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Park staff and local stakeholders are wrestling with what comes next.—
Kevin Strong,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Farage, Reform’s attention-grabbing but divisive leader, was a curiously low-key presence.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
19 June 2026
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With that in mind, if the Pacers want to acquire a draft pick, following their past and grabbing one in the 30s makes good sense.—
Tony East,
Forbes.com,
18 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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How about Matt Capps, a closer on a one-year deal, for a young catching prospect with the Minnesota Twins named Wilson Ramos.—
Barry Svrluga,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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In 2016, a B-52 crashed during takeoff from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, catching fire.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Two balls, two strikes and the Vibe on the verge of snatching back some momentum.—
Latif Love
June 18,
Kansas City Star,
18 June 2026
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Hart willingly did the dirty work, snatching up rebounds rather than points.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
15 June 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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Tim Hill plunked pinch-hitter Jacob Gonzalez and Tristan Peters with pitches before getting an out.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
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But the Royals produced an avalanche of offense, with every starter getting into the act.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grappling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grappling. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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