verb / noun
grapple
GRAP-ul/ˈɡræpl/
To seize and hold tightly in a physical struggle.
Two training partners grapple while gripping each other's upper arms and shoulders.
Etymology
The hook image first described seizing and holding fast, especially a ship. This became struggling in close contact with someone, then struggling with an abstract difficulty.
In context
have new favorite paintings, to grapple with sometimes difficult histories, and to visit over and over
More examples
- She grapples with her opponent without letting go.
- He grappled with the intruder until help arrived.
- The grapple ends when one wrestler pins the other.
Forms
grapple · grapples · grappled · grappling
grappler noun — Someone who wrestles by gripping opponents.