GRAPPLED Synonyms: 87 Similar and Opposite Words

grappled

verb

past tense of grapple

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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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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of grappled The White House has grappled with how to address the cost of living ahead of the midterms, which are less than two weeks away. — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026 The penalty, one of the largest ever levied against Meta or any other company, is the latest legal hit to the social media giant, which has grappled with lawsuits over allegations of social media addiction and child safety. — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026 Many before and since have grappled with the price of salvation, but rarely has such a theologically vast decision felt this intimate. — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026 Trump or other parts of the executive branch have also, in policy and in the courts, grappled with The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press and The New York Times. — Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026 Rather, it's grappled by Canadarm2, which berths it to the station and moves it around in other ways as necessary. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 9 Oct. 2026 While the university grappled with yet another football scandal, an Ann Arbor moving crew simply got to work—sorting, packing and hauling away the remnants of a fallen career, one item at a time, over the span of six hours. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 8 Oct. 2026 Washington — The Supreme Court on Monday grappled with a complex dispute involving an effort by the city and county of Boulder, Colorado, to hold energy companies accountable for the effects of global climate change. — Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 After a passenger grabbed the copilot and pulled him out, and others grappled with the man to subdue him, Schlichter said that one of the traveling pilots practically hurtled the scrum to enter the cockpit and seize the controls. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grappled

Verb

Authorities said another teacher threw her phone at the attacker and then tackled him and wrestled with him for control of the weapon, likely saving lives before the shooter was shot by a father who followed him into the building.

— Gene Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
Officers then deployed oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray, commonly known as pepper spray, and wrestled Licona Amador to the ground, prosecutors said.

— Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of wrestled

Verb

Nantz tried to knock the ball from Watt, but hit his wrist hard on the football and immediately grabbed his hand.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
The former center grabbed headlines in March for commenting on a Rangers loss that coincided with the team’s Pride Night celebration.

— Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of grabbed

Verb

Her singing caught the attention of Abboud Saadi, the bassist for Lebanon’s most famous singer, Fairuz, who invited her to a recording session with Bypass Studio owner Ziad Rahbani.

— Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
Following her death, Trail dismembered Loofe’s body to avoid getting caught.

— Samantha Bergeson, Time, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of caught

Verb

In the postwar decades, humans seized ecosystems at breakneck speed—forests were felled, prairies plowed, wetlands drained.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Also unfinished are the high-speed rail and the Delta tunnel, major environmental infrastructure projects that have been seized upon by right-wing media as evidence of Newsom’s failures.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of seized

Verb

Mitchell Fairbarn was captured on surveillance video carrying the 27-year-old Chilean flamingo, Peachy, to his room after removing the bird from its enclosure at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino in March.

— Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2026
Pace said the majority of the incident, if not all, was captured on surveillance video.

— Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of captured

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grapple

grappled

grappled (with)

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Style

“Grappled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grappled. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of grappled

verb

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