1
as in wrestled
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 grabbed
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 grappled
But the event also grappled with the intersection of personal growth and activism, explored in panels like Political Action and the Inner Search.
—
Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
The Supreme Court on Monday grappled with the constitutionality of law enforcement’s use of Google location history data to track down a suspect, in a case that could further define the Constitution’s protections for digital privacy.
—Julian Mark, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2026
New text released by GOP leadership is in line with a section-by-section outline obtained earlier by The Hill as the House grappled with how to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) past its April 30 expiration.
—Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2026
Public school districts have also grappled with high turnover rates and, in many cases, a shortage of educators.
—Noah Alcala Bach, San Antonio Express-News, 22 Apr. 2026
Over the course of the afternoon, guests laughed about, grappled with, and sometimes politely skirted around the same gendered tropes that have existed for centuries, the conversation turning serious in some moments and silly in others.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 22 Apr. 2026
Koch gave insight into the crew’s worries before the mission, saying the astronauts grappled with the idea that the mission wouldn’t make much of a difference.
—Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 18 Apr. 2026
Hogan grappled with Andre, picked him up and slammed him down.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Florida lawmakers this session grappled with how to best handle the proliferation of such sites.
—Romy Ellenbogen, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
The Supreme Court on Monday grappled with the constitutionality of law enforcement’s use of Google location history data to track down a suspect, in a case that could further define the Constitution’s protections for digital privacy.
—Julian Mark, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2026
New text released by GOP leadership is in line with a section-by-section outline obtained earlier by The Hill as the House grappled with how to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) past its April 30 expiration.
—Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2026
Public school districts have also grappled with high turnover rates and, in many cases, a shortage of educators.
—Noah Alcala Bach, San Antonio Express-News, 22 Apr. 2026
Over the course of the afternoon, guests laughed about, grappled with, and sometimes politely skirted around the same gendered tropes that have existed for centuries, the conversation turning serious in some moments and silly in others.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 22 Apr. 2026
Koch gave insight into the crew’s worries before the mission, saying the astronauts grappled with the idea that the mission wouldn’t make much of a difference.
—Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 18 Apr. 2026
Hogan grappled with Andre, picked him up and slammed him down.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Florida lawmakers this session grappled with how to best handle the proliferation of such sites.
—Romy Ellenbogen, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grappled
Verb
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Having wrestled the title momentum away from Arsenal this week, City are the obvious answer here, but there are reasons for optimism in north London.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Lawmakers in Connecticut have wrestled with how exactly to regulate the issue, particularly in the wake of reports that grocery stores in the state were using facial recognition technology to track shopper activity.—
P.R. Lockhart,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Investigators later learned Hissom and her male passenger, who was wounded, were caught in a crossfire as a group of four or five men grabbed weapons from a vehicle and began firing at each other.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
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Aristide then allegedly charged at his brother, grabbed him by the neck and forced him to the ground, according to the report.—
Mauricio Maldonado,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Gonzales drove a first-pitch slider to left, and Church jumped and caught the ball above the top of the 6-foot wall, 373 feet from home plate.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
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That’s what kept his head on straight in the trenches, even when his socks got bogged down with mud and soldiers flanked on either side of him caught shrapnel or pneumonia.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Authorities also seized multiple weapons, ammunition and explosive devices, the military said.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
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Some vessels with links to Iran made attempts to move through the strait, but others are staying away after Iran attacked three ships with gunfire earlier this week and seized two more.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Then last June, the Nuggets snatched Wallace back from Minnesota, hiring him as their new co-general manager alongside his friend Ben Tenzer — another longtime Connelly disciple who’d been a steady hand behind the scenes in Denver’s front office since 2013.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
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Chicago Cubs center fielder Rick Monday snatched an American flag from two men who intended to set it afire during the fourth inning in the outfield at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But Edwards had just landed hard after attempting to block a shot.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
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During his tenure at Daqo New Energy, the Chinese manufacturing magnate landed in hot water with the federal government multiple times over his links to the Chinese Communist Party’s repression of religious and ethnic minorities.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In 1960, the Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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In 2024, the pygmy hippo Moo Deng in Thailand captured hearts around the world with her water splashing, knee-biting antics spreading like wildfire on TikTok and other platforms.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grappled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grappled. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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