GRAPPLE

I. noun see: grape Date: 1601 1. the act or an instance of grappling, a hand-to-hand struggle, a contest for superiority or mastery, a bucket similar to a clamshell but usually having more jaws, II. verb (~d; grappling) Date: 1530 transitive verb to seize with or as if with a ~, to come to grips with ; wrestle , to bind closely, intransitive verb to make a ship fast with a grappling hook, to come to grips, to use a ~, ~r noun