Hold, as you grapple with (7)
I believe the answer is:
contend
'grapple with' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
I don't understand the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for contend that I've seen before include "Tend NCO (anag.)" , "Struggle; assert" , "Maintain" , "Debate - contest - claim" , "fight" .)