grapple
/ˈɡræpl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɡræpl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈgra-pəl/ (ame, mw)
grapple — 動詞
- grapplepresent simple I / you / we / they
- grappleshe / she / it
- grappledpast simple
- grappling-ing form
1. to take hold of another person's body and struggle against them at close range,
扭打；揪鬥
近距離抓住對方並肢體相搏
to take hold of another person's body and struggle against them at close range, usually trying to throw, pin, or overpower them.
Hamza grappled with the intruder until two neighbours arrived to help.
Hamza 跟那名闖入者扭打，直到兩位鄰居趕來幫忙。
grapple with + [opponent] for close-combat struggle
The two wrestlers grappled on the mat for nearly five minutes.
兩位摔角選手在墊子上扭打了將近五分鐘。
intransitive: subjects grapple together on a surface
Iris grappled the thief to the ground and held him until the police arrived.
Iris 把那名小偷扭打到地上，壓制著等警察來。
A security guard grappled with the drunk man at the stadium gate.
一名保全在球場大門口跟那位喝醉的男子扭打。
Christopher grappled bravely with the larger boy after class.
Christopher 下課後勇敢地跟那個比他壯的男孩揪鬥。
文法句型
grapple with someone
grapple someone to the ground
用法筆記
Subject is normally a person; object is another person or animal at body-contact range. Distinguish from sense 2: a physical opponent here, an abstract problem there.
常見錯誤
2. to put serious mental effort into handling a difficult problem, question, or sit
費力處理
苦思並設法應付棘手的問題
to put serious mental effort into handling a difficult problem, question, or situation — for example, a city trying to reduce homelessness, or a student making sense of a tough theory.
Many small towns are grappling with the loss of young workers to the cities.
許多小鎮正在費力處理年輕勞動力流向都市的問題。
grapple with + [social problem]
Faisal sat by the river, grappling with whether to accept the job in Berlin.
Faisal 坐在河邊，費力思考要不要接受柏林那份工作。
grapple with + indirect question (whether-clause)
The school board is still grappling with how to keep classrooms safe during heatwaves.
校董會還在費力處理熱浪期間如何讓教室保持安全。
Eitan grappled with the idea that his father had lied to him for years.
Eitan 費力面對父親多年來一直對他撒謊這件事。
Doctors are still grappling with the long-term effects of the new virus.
醫師們仍在費力釐清這種新病毒的長期影響。
- ignore
opposite stance: refuse to engage with the problem at all
文法句型
grapple with + noun (problem/idea/question)
用法筆記
Almost always intransitive with 'with'. Object is an abstract noun (problem, issue, question, idea) or an indirect question. Distinguish from sense 1 by what follows 'with': a person → fight; a problem → think hard about.
常見錯誤
grapple — 名詞
1. a short fight in which two people hold each other and struggle at close range.
扭打
兩人近身抓扯的短暫打鬥
a short fight in which two people hold each other and struggle at close range.
After a brief grapple by the door, the security staff led the man outside.
在門邊一陣短暫的扭打之後，保全人員把那名男子帶了出去。
a brief grapple — short close-range fight
Jisoo won the match with a clever grapple in the final round.
Jisoo 在最後一回合靠著漂亮的一記扭打贏下比賽。
There was a noisy grapple on the pavement before the police arrived.
警察趕到前，人行道上發生了一場吵鬧的扭打。
Quan came home with a cut lip after a grapple with two older boys.
Quan 跟兩個年紀較大的男孩扭打之後，嘴唇帶著傷口回家。
文法句型
a grapple with somebody
用法筆記
Countable and usually preceded by 'a' or 'the'. Commonly modified by adjectives like 'brief', 'short', or 'noisy'. The act-of-fighting noun, paired with verb sense 1.
2. a hard, sustained contest between two sides trying to gain control or win someth
角力；爭奪
雙方為主導權的激烈長期較量
a hard, sustained contest between two sides trying to gain control or win something important.
The election turned into a public grapple between the two main parties.
這場選舉演變成兩大政黨之間公開的角力。
a grapple between + [rivals]
Heloísa described the trial as a long grapple for the truth.
Heloísa 形容那場審判是一場為真相而戰的長期角力。
a grapple for + [goal]
Their family business became a quiet grapple for control between the two brothers.
他們家的生意成了兩兄弟之間私下爭奪掌控權的角力。
The board meeting became a tense grapple over the company's future direction.
那場董事會議變成一場關於公司未來方向的緊張爭奪。
文法句型
a grapple for + noun
用法筆記
Formal and uncommon; you will mostly meet 'struggle' or 'battle' in this slot. Often followed by 'for', 'over', or 'between'.
3. a metal device with several curved hooks at one end, usually tied to a rope and
抓鉤
綁繩拋擲、勾住目標的多爪金屬器具
a metal device with several curved hooks at one end, usually tied to a rope and thrown so the hooks catch on something a climber or boarder wants to reach.
Adaeze swung the grapple over her head and threw it up to the balcony.
Adaeze 把抓鉤在頭上甩了一圈，往上拋到陽台。
throw a grapple up to + [target]
The pirates used a grapple to pull their ship close to the merchant boat.
海盜用抓鉤把自己的船拉近那艘商船。
use a grapple to + [verb]
A heavy iron grapple lay on the deck beside a coil of rope.
甲板上躺著一個沉重的鐵製抓鉤，旁邊還盤著一捆繩子。
Daniel taught the cadets how to fix a grapple to the wall before climbing.
Daniel 教學員們在攀爬前先把抓鉤固定在牆上。
- grappling hook
the full, more transparent name; safer choice in everyday writing
- grappling iron
older nautical term for the same tool
文法句型
throw / use a grapple
用法筆記
The full name is 'grappling hook' or 'grappling iron'; 'grapple' alone is the shorter form. Object is the hook itself, not the act of using it.
4. a large bucket on a digger or crane that has two or more hinged jaws which close
抓斗
鉸接式雙爪可開合的機具桶
a large bucket on a digger or crane that has two or more hinged jaws which close together to pick up earth, scrap metal, or logs.
The driver lowered the grapple and lifted a thick log onto the truck.
司機把抓斗放下，吊起一根粗木頭放到卡車上。
lower / lift a grapple to move heavy material
Mia watched the crane's grapple drop a load of scrap metal into the yard.
Mia 看著吊車的抓斗把一堆廢鐵倒進院子裡。
The old digger has a grapple instead of a normal bucket for moving rocks.
這台舊挖土機裝的是抓斗而不是一般的鏟斗，用來搬石頭。
Jenna replaced the grapple on the excavator before clearing the river bank.
Jenna 在清理河岸前先把挖土機上的抓斗換掉。
- clamshell bucket
more technical industry term for the same hinged-jaw device
- grab
British construction term for a similar attachment
文法句型
a grapple on + [machine]
用法筆記
A piece of heavy-machinery vocabulary; you will mostly see it in construction, forestry, or recycling contexts. Distinguish from sense 3 by the setting — sense 4 is attached to a machine, sense 3 is thrown by a person.