Thesaurus results for GROVEL

grovel

verb

ˈgrä-vᵊl

Definition of grovel

as in to cringe

to draw back or crouch down in fearful submission the way in which the abused dog would grovel whenever its owner came near

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in to crawl

to move slowly with the body close to the ground because of their anatomy, bats can only grovel while moving along the ground

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of grovel Here the adult narrator creates an atmosphere closer to Schulz’s erotic drawings, obsessively filled with images of the artist himself groveling at the feet of lithe young women. — Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 12 Feb. 2026 Political courage is needed, especially from the cowardly, groveling Congress. — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 18 Jan. 2026 That’s the saddest cash-grab gimmick ever, groveling for Dubai dollars. — Sports Columnist, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Jan. 2026 The stringent businessman makes Marty suffer and grovel for his money, at one point exerting his power by spanking the young man’s bare bottom with a wooden ping-pong paddle. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for grovel

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grovel

Verb

And finally, another one of Wang’s creations mocks Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine’s infamously cringe sexts by showing the pop star losing his mind to a picture of Jolly’s derriere in an Instagram DM.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 24 Sep. 2026
When the outfits hit social media Sunday morning, many Titans fans cringed.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of cringe

Verb

In May 2025, after Williams shut off the water in a cell, 10 inmates removed a toilet, crawled through a gap in the wall and scaled a fence out of the jail.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
At the hospital, an insect fell from the girl’s shoe, and a staffer saw a cockroach crawling on her, the district attorney’s office said.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of crawl

Verb

During the Wildcats' first attempt on the two-point conversion, a Kentucky player appeared to flinch, and while a flag was thrown, it was negated by a timeout called by the Wildcats.

— Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
While Levi’s had been making a lot of noise about being a DTC-first retailer, in an interview with WWD, Gass emphasized the importance of a broad base and didn’t flinch away from what went wrong in DTC.

— Evan Clark, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of flinch

Verb

The prosecution said the trajectory of the bullet showed that Jean was either getting up from his couch or cowering when Guyger fired at him.

— Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 1 Oct. 2026
Stuhlbarg, whose Vice President tends to cower in terror in the corner of the frame, becomes particularly evident as the movie’s comic secret weapon upon closer examination.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of cower

Verb

After practice, the guard was seen with kinesiology tape snaking up his right calf while working on the court with assistant coaches.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Long lines of vehicles snaked outside gas stations across Indonesia’s resort island of Bali this week after fuel deliveries were disrupted by a combination of technical problems, bad weather and surging demand, officials said Wednesday.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of snake

Verb

From elevating beds to expanding sections to sliding walls and even entire roofs, these 10 homes transform to get maximum use out of a compact space.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
Technology stocks are also poised to slide if rates continue to climb — particularly as investors raise concerns over the feasibility of the artificial intelligence data center expansion, according to Northey.

— Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of slide

Verb

Here are five ways to make your Halloween display friendlier to the creatures that fly, slither and scurry through your yard.

— Katie Koschalk, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026
Since the nineteen-nineties, a Korean New Wave had been praised for embedding capitalist critique in movies packed with monsters, slithering octopuses, killers, and killer cops.

— E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of slither

Browse Nearby Words

grove

grovel

groveled

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“Grovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grovel. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of grovel

verb

Example Sentences

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