What does “grapple” mean?
- 1
verbto try hard to deal with or understand a difficult problem
Scientists are still grappling with the question.
- 2
verbto fight with someone by holding them
The two men grappled on the floor.
Grapple at a glance
- Part of speech
- verb
- CEFR level
- C1 (advanced)
- Pronunciation
- /ˈɡræpəl/ · GRAP-ul
How to use “grapple” correctly
Almost always followed by “with”. Very common in academic and news writing about difficult issues.
Common phrases with “grapple”
- grapple with a problem
- grapple with an issue
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- struggle
- wrestle
- tackle
“grapple” is on these word lists
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