# grapple

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈɡɹæpəl/ · frequency rank #24,768

## Definitions
1. To seize something and hold it firmly.
2. To wrestle or tussle.
3. To ponder and intensely evaluate a problem; to struggle to deal with.

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **grape** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grape-vs-grapple)

## Common misspellings (9)
`garpple`, `ggrapple`, `graple`, `graplpe`, `grappel`, `grapplle`, `grpaple`, `grrapple`, `rgapple`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/grapple