This expression means understanding and addressing a situation or a problem and giving it your full attention. It is a metaphor from wrestling; when two wrestlers get hold of each other and start to fight, they 'come to grips', in the sense of a 'tight hold.' To 'grapple with' a problem contains similar imagery. The phrase appeared in the middle of the twentieth century.

Übersetzung:

mit etwas fertigwerden, sich jemanden vorknöpfen

Gegenteil(e)

The opposite of "to come/get to grips with" is "to be not able to deal with".

Synonym(e):

You could also say: to manage or to cope with something.