grapnel
1
9.5
- noun
- /ˈɡræp.nəl/
- Specialized
:
grapnel
- Grapnels over!
- rope with a grapnel
- toss a grapnel
Examples
-
They actually get grapnels to RIP some of that wire out with two wire cutting tanks going forward, turning apart.
-
Then he tossed a grapnel aboard Flora and with his crew swarmed aboard like pirates, except that they had no weapons.
Fiction book (1995) -
The grapnel and the rope ladder take up a lot of room.
-
Hands, grapnels at the ready.
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From the pirate ship, the pirates toss a grapnel rope to Kezure.
Fiction book (1990) -
In addition, eel fishermen set the pot lines without buoys and towed a grapnel to lift them, a tactic to prevent sport fishermen from taking the pots.
Academic text (1990) -
To secure the boat, he dropped the grapnel into the water and watched it catch on the seabed.
-
The fisherman used a grapnel to retrieve the net that had become stuck in the rocks.
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After several attempts, they successfully anchored the raft using a heavy grapnel tied to a long rope.
Synonyms
192
1.0
A curved piece used to catch or hang things
6
7.4
A tool with hooks used to grab and lift things
4
5.7
A set of hooks on a rope used to catch and hold things like a wall or ship
1
9.1
A tool with hooks on a rope that you throw to catch or pull things
A metal tool with hooks used to hold and pull things with a rope
A small metal tool with several hooks that holds a small boat on rocky or weedy sea bottom
Compounds
- Specialized
A small metal tool with several hooks that holds a small boat on rocky or weedy sea bottom
How Secure
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word grapnel comes from an old word for a 'hook' and is related to grapple, which means 'to grab'. So a grapnel is a small hooked anchor that 'grabs' the ground or an object, and that is why people use it to hold or recover things.