To grapple means to struggle physically with someone or something, trying to get control of it. When wrestlers grapple, they grab and hold each other, each trying to pin the other down. If you've ever tried to hold onto a large, wiggly dog that doesn't want a bath, you know what it means to grapple with something strong and determined.

The word also describes wrestling with difficult ideas or problems. When you grapple with a challenging math concept, you're working hard to understand it, turning it over in your mind from different angles. A scientist might grapple with a research question for years. Your parents might grapple with a tough decision about your family's future.

What makes grappling different from just thinking or working is the sense of real struggle. You don't grapple with easy problems. You grapple when something resists you, when understanding or control doesn't come easily. A class might grapple with a complicated story, working together to figure out what the author meant. Grappling shows effort and determination: you're not giving up, you're wrestling with the challenge until you get somewhere.