Skip to main content
grapple

grapple

6 7.4
A tool with hooks used to grab and lift things
  • noun
  • /ˈɡræpəl/
translation icon : garra
  • The coyote was too smart to pull the drag—a grappling hook—through the brush, where it would get hung up.
  • equipment with grapple

Examples

  • Small track hoe-type equipment with grapple attachments is utilized to remove pieces of plastic and other debris.

    Academic text (1995)
  • We're gonna need a grapple or a crane.

  • "We can even pull out certain materials with the grapple," Colosimo says.

    Academic text (1996)
  • We're gonna need a grapple or a crane with maybe a fifty-foot boom.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • But the thing that makes her really special are these grappling claws.

  • The shuttle shivered as the grapples secured it.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Another of the dock technicians shouted on a comm to the Port Authority to release the grapples.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • With much grumbling, ropes and grappling hooks are gathered, and the crew hops to it ...

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The line shoots out and a gleaming grappling hook slams into the side of Plissken's chopper, the prongs clawing in, holding.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • The workers used a grapple to lift the heavy steel beams onto the construction site.

Synonyms

hook
vsgrapple
192 1.0

A curved piece used to catch or hang things

is a wider term that includes both bent implements and jawed tools for lifting
claw
vsgrapple
31 5.6

A curved tool that grips and pulls things

is similar but emphasizes hooked or jawed designs for grabbing or lifting
grab
vsgrapple
  • UK
15 7.2

A machine tool that holds things to lift or move them

focuses on hooked or jawed tools generally, not only heavy industrial lifters
grappling hook
vsgrapple
4 5.7

A set of hooks on a rope used to catch and hold things like a wall or ship

is a general tool with hooks or jaws for grabbing or lifting objects
gripper
vsgrapple
2 4.1

A machine part that holds or picks up objects firmly, like on a robot arm

is usually more rugged and used for grabbing, holding, or lifting heavier items
grappler
vsgrapple
1 9.1

A tool with hooks on a rope that you throw to catch or pull things

is the broader name for a hooked or jawed tool used to hold or lift
grapnel
vsgrapple
  • Specialized
1 9.5

A small hook with several points on a rope used to hold or pull things

is less specific, covering any hooked or jawed grabbing or lifting device
grasper
vsgrapple
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A tool that holds objects firmly, like forceps used by surgeons

is more general, applying to hooked or jawed tools for grabbing and lifting
clamshell
vsgrapple
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A machine bucket with two hinged halves that open to lift mud and sand

operates differently, while the key covers hooked or jawed devices for gripping or lifting
grappling iron
vsgrapple
8.4

A metal tool with hooks used to hold and pull things with a rope

covers that function but also other handheld hooked or jawed tools
griper
vsgrapple
9.3

A tool for holding or lifting things safely

is broader, covering tools with hooks or jaws for lifting or grabbing

How Strong

grapple
6 7.4
claw
31 5.6
tongs
1 1.0

Surface Forms

grapple singular
grapples plural

Etymology

Grapple first named a metal 'hook' used to grab things, like a grappling hook, so the word still means a tool with hooks for grabbing, holding, or lifting objects.