grapple

Everyday

1. To fight with someone by holding and struggling with them. tree →
2. (grapple with) To work hard to understand or deal with a difficult problem. tree →
3. (noun) A hook used to grab or hold something, also called a grappling hook. tree →

In the lessons

Sense 2 is common in school and news: «grapple with fractions», «the town is grappling with floods». Sense 1 is used for wrestling and fights in stories, like Toad grappling with the barge-woman.

Examples

• The two wrestlers grappled on the mat. tree →
• Pupils grappled with the tricky word problem. tree →
• The police officer grappled with the thief. tree →
• Scientists are grappling with the problem of climate change. tree →
• Toad grappled with the barge-woman, but she was too strong for him. tree →
• The pirates threw grappling hooks onto the ship. tree →
• He clutched my collar and we grappled in a death struggle. tree →

Note

Regular verb: grappled, grappling. «Grapple with» is the main pattern. A «grappling hook» has several hooks on a rope, used to climb or catch hold of ships.