grapple
A close hand-to-hand struggleA close hand-to-hand struggle.
» We seem to keep grappling with the same old problem.
Meaning
5 senses(countable, uncountable)A close hand-to-hand struggle.
Rauferei
the act of engaging in close hand-to-hand combat
(countable, uncountable)The act of grappling. (uncountable)
Ringen
хва́ткаxvátka
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.
Enterhaken
ко́шкаkóška
a tool consisting of several hooks for grasping and holding; often thrown with a rope
A grapnel (“type of anchor”).
(uncountable)A combination of grape and apple flavors.
Examples
21 sentencesWe seem to keep grappling with the same old problem.
Batman has the best grappling hook.
deBatman hat den besten Enterhaken. — Yorwba
Automakers are grappling with semiconductor shortages.
deAutohersteller haben mit Halbleiterengpässen zu kämpfen. — Yorwba
Tom can use a grappling hook.
He grapples with an eating disorder.
Translations
6 languagesBy meaning 2
By meaning 3
Origin
From Middle English *grapplen (“to seize, lay hold of”), from Old English *græpplian (“toFrom 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.
From Middle English *grapple, *graple, from Old French grappil (“a ship's grapple”) (compare Old French grappin (“hook”)), from Old French grape, grappe, crape (“hook”), of Germanic origin, from Frankish *krappō (“hook”), from Proto-Indo-European *grep- (“hook”), *gremb- (“crooked, uneven”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to turn, bend, twist”). See further at grape. Influenced in some senses by grapple (“seize”, verb) (see above).
Blend of grape + apple.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: grapplesSynonyms
9 synonyms- a dredging bucket with hinges like the shell of a clam:clamshell
- a tool consisting of several hooks for grasping and holding; often thrown with a rope:grapnelgrapplergrappling hookgrappling iron
- the act of engaging in close hand-to-hand combat:wrestlewrestlinggrapplinghand-to-hand struggle
Word family
1 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable