grapple

[grap-uh l] /ˈgræp əl/
verb (used without object), grappled, grappling.
1.
to hold or make fast to something, as with a grapple.
2.
to use a grapple.
3.
to seize another, or each other, in a firm grip, as in wrestling; clinch.
4.
to engage in a struggle or close encounter (usually followed by with):
He was grappling with a boy twice his size.
5.
to try to overcome or deal (usually followed by with):
to grapple with a problem.
verb (used with object), grappled, grappling.
6.
to seize, hold, or fasten with or as with a grapple.
7.
to seize in a grip, take hold of:
The thug grappled him around the neck.
noun
8.
a hook or an iron instrument by which one thing, as a ship, fastens onto another; grapnel.
9.
a seizing or gripping.
10.
a grip or close hold in wrestling or hand-to-hand fighting.
11.
a close, hand-to-hand fight.
Origin
1520-30; apparently a frequentative of Old English gegrǣppian to seize; associated with grapnel
Related forms
grappler, noun
intergrapple, verb, intergrappled, intergrappling.
ungrappled, adjective
Synonyms
5. struggle, contend, wrestle, cope, tussle.
Examples from the web for grapple
  • As school districts nationwide grapple with severe budget cuts, one sport has weathered the recession better than most: football.
  • Admissions deans grapple with the promises and pitfalls of electronic recruiting.
  • The government is failing to grapple with terrorism.
  • With both of these activities you can grapple with real rock and work your technique, without undertaking much of a commitment.
  • Below we'll update you on the approach and grapple as the process unfolds.
  • But now many companies are starting to grapple with this new technology's limitations.
  • Many mothers who take time off from work to raise children grapple with ways to balance home and work life.
  • Car sharing revs up on college campuses as officials grapple with parking and congestion.
  • Rather than grapple with awkward counter-evidence, the party tried to bury it.
  • After three decades blindly pursuing growth, the government is starting to grapple with the environmental costs.
British Dictionary definitions for grapple

grapple

/ˈɡræpəl/
verb
1.
to come to grips with (one or more persons), esp to struggle in hand-to-hand combat
2.
(intransitive) foll by with. to cope or contend: to grapple with a financial problem
3.
(transitive) to secure with a grapple
noun
4.
any form of hook or metal instrument by which something is secured, such as a grapnel
5.
  1. the act of gripping or seizing, as in wrestling
  2. a grip or hold
6.
a contest of grappling, esp a wrestling match
Derived Forms
grappler, noun
Word Origin
C16: from Old French grappelle a little hook, from grape hook; see grapnel
Word Origin and History for grapple
n.

late 13c., from Old French grapil "hook" (see grapnel). The verb is 1520s, "seize and hold fast," from the noun. Sense of "battle, struggle (with)" is from 1590s. Related: Grappled; grappling.

grapple in Technology


GRAPh Processing LanguagE. 1968.
["A Directed Graph Representation for Computer Simulation of Belief Systems", L.G. Tesler et al, Math Biosciences 2:19-40 (1968)].