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

Relevance

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 Back in Bend, Cook, the district superintendent at Bend-La Pine Schools, spent Friday with staff at the school who are grappling with the devastating aftermath. — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 17 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 The space industry is also grappling with a launch capacity shortage, as SpaceX has stopped offering commercial rides on its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket to prioritize its massive Starship rocket. — Annie Palmer, CNBC, 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 His visit with Queen Letizia came with the city of 84,000 residents still grappling with the mass crossing of nearly as many migrants from Morocco in July. — Joseph Wilson, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026 These latest developments come as Riyadh is already grappling with rising fiscal challenges. — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026 But especially for anyone grappling with dementia in any form, there’s far more to The Vanishing Family than its initial mystery. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026 Set in 2012, 18 years after the genocide against the Tutsi, the film unfolds in a Rwandan village where survivors and perpetrators are grappling with the process of reconciliation. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grappling

Verb

Benjamin Satterley, known to wrestling fans around the world as Pac, died last month of bronchial asthma, the medical examiner’s office in Cook County, Illinois, confirmed Friday.

— Rudy Chinchilla, NBC news, 17 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

Friday’s exhibition contest featured a 22-0 KU run in the first half, the Jayhawks responding to Pitt State grabbing an early 22-21 lead.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2026
Keeping the shoes simple with a more eye-grabbing dress has been her outfit formula as of late.

— Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of grabbing

Verb

Rather than fighting strict local regulations head-on, companies like Waymo, Zoox, and Aurora are prioritizing states with explicit legislative preemption that prevents individual cities from banning the technology.

— Andrew Hawkins, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2026
The procedure had already been approved, and everyone involved understood that my doctor had spent months fighting to secure authorization.

— Scott Levenson, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of fighting

Verb

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
This speed can be boosted in systems like NGC 362D, in which a neutron star is snatching material from a donor star because that material carries with it angular momentum.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of snatching

Verb

Frieze Week in London has stopped being just about Frieze London and Frieze Masters as smaller fairs are seizing the opportunity for more intimate fair models.

— Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Not to say that Vara is working in bad faith, but there is an ugly history of bad actors seizing on these kinds of accusations against writers of color.

— James Folta, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of seizing

Verb

There is no independent national database capturing every amusement park injury and death.

— Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
These metrics should focus on tracking patterns of behavior and long-term resilience rather than capturing a snapshot of activity at a single moment.

— Anand Solanki, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of capturing

Verb

Chisell, who previously worked at Amazon, eBay and Starling Bank, estimates that Paysend can now deliver around 25% more engineering work with the same-sized team, but argues that getting results isn’t as simple as handing everyone the latest tech.

— Lindsay Dodgson, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2026
Fanatics Sportsbook is getting you in on the action with a $20 wager giving you $350 in FanCash when using promo code FOXNEWS350.

— OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026