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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of grappling
Ukraine is grappling with a critical manpower problem on the front line and is straining to hold back Russia’s grinding assaults.
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Hanna Arhirova and Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2024
The world is grappling with a major crisis of plastic pollution.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2024
Besides lost revenue, Ukraine is grappling with substantial costs stemming from the conflict, including $42 billion for mine-clearing.
—Katya Soldak, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
Musk is now grappling with fierce competition in the AI race for top engineering talent and GPUs.
—Kylie Robison, The Verge, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grappling 
Hanna Arhirova and Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2024
The world is grappling with a major crisis of plastic pollution.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2024
Besides lost revenue, Ukraine is grappling with substantial costs stemming from the conflict, including $42 billion for mine-clearing.
—Katya Soldak, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
Musk is now grappling with fierce competition in the AI race for top engineering talent and GPUs.
—Kylie Robison, The Verge, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grappling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grappling
Verb
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Looking ahead, its beer business should continue grabbing market share and its hard to imagine the wine-and-spirits unit getting much worse.Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2024
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A day could include grabbing cardamom snurrer at a bakery in Østerbro, poking around the design shops of Frederiksstaden, stopping for a dip at one of the harbor's swimming spots, and ending up at a biodynamic wine bar in Christianshavn.Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Against Utah, Hunter notched an interception and a touchdown, while catching five passes for 55 yards.Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 16 Nov. 2024
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Which drives people indoors and provides a great chance of catching something – like the flu.Tribune Content Agency, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Like Harris, Walz did his debate prep in a swing state, seizing the opportunity to log a few extra days in a battleground and potentially earn some goodwill among voters there.Dan Mangan,Kevin Breuninger,Annie Nova,Rebecca Picciotto,Josephine Rozzelle,Brian Schwartz,Ece Yildirim, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2024
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After a lifetime of being objectified, Pamela Anderson is entering a new era—and seizing control.Emily Maddick, Glamour, 30 Sep. 2024
Verb
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Horsetail Fall offers consistency in capturing natural wonder that beaches or even the Grand Canyon, sometimes hampered by fog, cannot deliver, Dunn said.Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
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Bowman, 30, was first to cross at 2 hours, 17 minutes and 47 seconds, capturing the men's title.Amy Huschka, Detroit Free Press, 21 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near grappling
Cite this Entry
“Grappling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grappling. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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