grapple

Plural: grapples

Noun

a tool consisting of several hooks for grasping and holding; often thrown with a rope
a dredging bucket with hinges like the shell of a clam
the act of engaging in close hand-to-hand combat
A close hand-to-hand struggle.
The act of grappling. (uncountable)
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.
A tool with claws or hooks which is used to catch or hold something.
A grapnel (“type of anchor”).
A combination of grape and apple flavors.

Verb

Verb Forms: grappled, grappling, grapples

To engage in a close fight or struggle, typically without weapons.
come to terms with
to grip or seize, as in a wrestling match
- "the two men grappled with each other for several minutes"
To seize something and hold it firmly.
To wrestle or tussle.
To ponder and intensely evaluate a problem; to struggle to deal with.
To fasten, as with a grapple; (by extension) to fix; to join indissolubly.
To climb (whether by means of a grapple and rope, or by hand, etc).
To use a grapple (for example to attempt to find, hook, and raise a net or cable).
To hook and raise with a grapple.

Examples

He had to grapple with the tile rack, trying to form a word from difficult letters.
to grapple with one's conscience

Origin / Etymology

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.

Synonyms

clamshell, contend, cope, deal, get by, grapnel, grappler, grappling, grappling hook, grappling iron, grip, hand-to-hand struggle, make do, make out, manage, wrestle, wrestling

Scrabble Score: 12

grapple: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
grapple: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
grapple: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 16

grapple: valid Words With Friends Word