GRAPPLING Synonyms: 86 Similar and Opposite Words

grappling

verb

Definition of grappling

present participle of grapple

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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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

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 grappling Brittin is grappling with a financial crisis that is precipitating some of the most painful cuts in the BBC’s history. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2026 Widespread summer heatwaves across Europe in 2026 also dampened chocolate consumption, leaving the broader industry grappling with sluggish volume growth. — CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026 Prices are rising everywhere, driven by a global craze to add protein to everything, but this isn’t converting to profits for Gulf food producers, who are grappling with higher costs because of the war. — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026 Beyond the diesel spike, farmers are grappling with surging costs for fertilizer, another critical input made pricier by the war with Iran. — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026 As climate change intensifies, countries around the world are grappling with more extreme impacts. — Robbie Griffiths, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026 Idefix, the size of a large shoebox, will attempt to drive around Phobos for up to 100 days while grappling with the moon’s rough topography and tenuous gravity, less than one-thousandth that of Earth’s. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026 Seyfried gets defensive about this, grappling with her own complicated feelings about playing a real person on film. — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026 There was a moment when everyone, even the rich and famous, was grappling with norms around a new technology. — Mia Sato, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grappling

Verb

The bystander followed the 16-year-old gunman and shot him as another teacher was wrestling with him over the weapon, according to police.

— Tom Winter, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2026
Inside the school Giamanco saw a woman wrestling with the boy for control of the shotgun.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of wrestling

Verb

Over recent years, ambitious and headline-grabbing solutions to transportation problems have been unveiled in South Florida, from vertical jet ports to autonomous vehicles.

— Sofia Zarran, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
Bailey kicked off the Lakers’ opening night by matching her powerful voice with an equally attention-grabbing shoe.

— Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of grabbing

Verb

The discovery raises the possibility of a grim outcome in the search for the four men, which has led to El Salvador deploying 450 special forces soldiers to Haiti as of Friday to aid the gang-fighting force in the search.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2026
The whole idea is for Israel to keep fighting, because endless wars serve Netanyahu to maintain… a constant state of emergency.

— Daniel Estrin, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of fighting

Verb

Peltola is a gun-owning, fish-catching Alaska-bush native, who has worked for mines and supports oil drilling, and is allied with the state’s largest labor unions.

— Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
But for audiences outside North America, catching Nathan Fielder’s three-hour documentary about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes — now expected to be a major player in awards season — has become a frustrating waiting game.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of catching

Verb

Running around snatching pythons out of the jungle isn't my idea of fun, but someone has to do it.

— Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Freiburg took advantage of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich drawing to move top, snatching the win over Schalke with a late goal despite having Yuito Suzuki sent off for a second yellow card in the 64th.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of snatching

Verb

Witty, bitter, flamboyant, and emotionally grounded, the dialogue swings, delightfully, between intimate exchanges and grandiloquent soliloquies, capturing the vulnerability of idealists in the face of evil.

— Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
By capturing predictable fees on a massive, permanent baseline of cheap American energy, these three midstream powerhouses represent a high-quality structural play for investors.

— Harvey Stober, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of capturing

Verb

Now, Tan-Gillespie is tasked with getting KFC’s American business back on track as the brand faces growing competition paired with more health-conscious and cash-strapped consumers.

— Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Before Rover, success meant getting promotions, landing bigger clients and climbing the corporate ladder.

— Sally Simmons, Contributor, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026