What does "grapple" mean?
A close hand-to-hand struggle.
Grapple
/ˈɡɹæpəl/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A close hand-to-hand struggle.
- Grammar: grapple is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: grapnel, wrestle, abduct, acquire.
- Useful contrasts: accord, avoid, calm.
- Usage evidence: The Esperanto movement has always had to grapple with the problem of 'eternal beginners'.
How to use "grapple"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "grapple" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "grapple" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "grapple" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "grapple" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "grapple" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "grapnel" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "grapple", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A close hand-to-hand struggle. countable, uncountable
- 2 A tool with claws or hooks which is used to catch or hold something.; A device consisting of iron claws, attached to the end of a rope, used for grasping and holding an enemy ship prior to boarding; a grappling iron.
- 3 A combination of grape and apple flavors. uncountable
"Lady Cheron looks at the cupboards. Both apple butter and apple jelly, as well as "grapple" (grape-apple) jelly are sitting in little mason jars on the top shelf."
- 4 the act of engaging in close hand-to-hand combat wordnet
- 5 The act of grappling. (uncountable) countable, uncountable
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 A tool with claws or hooks which is used to catch or hold something.; A grapnel (“type of anchor”).
- 7 a dredging bucket with hinges like the shell of a clam wordnet
- 8 a tool consisting of several hooks for grasping and holding; often thrown with a rope wordnet
Verb
- 1 To seize something and hold it firmly. transitive
- 2 To fasten, as with a grapple; (by extension) to fix; to join indissolubly. transitive
"The gallies were grapled to the Centurion."
- 3 to grip or seize, as in a wrestling match wordnet
- 4 To wrestle or tussle. intransitive
- 5 To climb (whether by means of a grapple and rope, or by hand, etc). intransitive, transitive
"Sam quickly geared up and placed the first hook. “I am coming as well,” Alicia announced. […] Sam planted the anchor and then grappled down as Alicia struggled to move more than a foot or shift down."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 succeed in doing, achieving, or producing (something) with the limited or inadequate means available wordnet
- 7 To ponder and intensely evaluate a problem; to struggle to deal with. figuratively
"to grapple with one's conscience"
- 8 To use a grapple (for example to attempt to find, hook, and raise a net or cable). intransitive
"The following days I spent patrolling the river and grappling for nets. On Wednesday , 18th July , left Gananoque at 7 a.m.; patrolled down to Rockport, […]"
- 9 To hook and raise with a grapple. intransitive, transitive
"The place where the cable got jammed and broken at the bottom was two or three miles from where I grappled up the cable the first time. I do not, of course, know for certain whether rocks with crevices exist."
Example
"The Esperanto movement has always had to grapple with the problem of 'eternal beginners'."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "grapple"?
Common synonyms include: grapnel, wrestle, abduct, acquire, address, adhere to.
How do you use "grapple" in a sentence?
The Esperanto movement has always had to grapple with the problem of 'eternal beginners'.
How do you pronounce "grapple"?
Pronounced /ˈɡɹæpəl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English *grapplen (“to seize, lay hold of”), from Old English *græpplian (“to seize”) (compare Old English ġegræppian (“to seize”)), from Proto-Germanic *graipilōną, *grabbalōną (“to seize”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ- (“to take, seize, rake”), equivalent to grab + -le. Cognate with Dutch grabbelen (“to grope, scramble, scrabble”), German grabbeln (“to rummage, grope about”) and grapsen, grapschen (“to seize, grasp, grabble”). Influenced in some senses by grapple (“tool with claws or hooks”, noun) (see below). See further at grasp.
Etymology 2
From Middle English *grapple, *graple, from Old French grappil (“a ship's grapple”) (compare Old French grappin (“hook”)), from Old French grape, grappe, crape (“hook”), of Germanic origin, from Frankish *krappō (“hook”), from Proto-Indo-European *grep- (“hook”), *gremb- (“crooked, uneven”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to turn, bend, twist”). See further at grape. Influenced in some senses by grapple (“seize”, verb) (see above).
Etymology 3
Blend of grape + apple.