Thesaurus results for WORMING

worming

verb

present participle of worm

as in encroaching

to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits neighborhoods worming into lands reserved for wildlife

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in sneaking

to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way over a period of several years, the undercover agent was able to worm his way into the drug kingpin's confidence

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in creeping

to move slowly with the body close to the ground the cat silently wormed along the ground as it snuck up on the bird

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 worming After a series of personal setbacks, Ingrid moves to Los Angeles to be closer to Taylor, masterminding their meeting and worming her way into her inner circle. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026 The best success comes using it in jungle-thick cover, worming a minnow down between uncooperative branches. — John Phillips, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2026 In terms of the complex set design — which looks like a facsimile of the same passage over and over but with subtle differences worming their way in — Kawamura and his team built two identical corridors for cinematographer Keisuke Imamura to follow the actors through, third- and first-person-style. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 Apr. 2026 Clara ends up moving to the small town and worming her way into everyone’s hearts. — Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025 Traitors is worming its way in there. — Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for worming

Verb

But what do athletes think of robots not only encroaching on their turf, but surpassing their achievements?

— Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Without more straightforward approaches from vendors, such as easily comprehensible privacy policies and avoiding inappropriate ads, monitors are dangerously encroaching into smart-TV-like territory.

— Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of encroaching

Verb

But now that fall is slowly creeping in, our wardrobes are ready to turn over a new leaf, too.

— Amanda Le, InStyle, 27 Aug. 2026
Audiences embraced the films for their creeping realism and slow-building scares, which transformed ordinary bedrooms, hallways and home security cameras into places where something terrifying might be lurking just outside the frame.

— Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of creeping

Verb

Meghan expressed concern that school pickups and dropoffs would lead to a swarm of paparazzi infiltrating the moment.

— Sameen Chaudhry, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
Dozens of pages of documents describe agents secretly infiltrating meetings, monitoring activist chat groups and using license plate numbers to compile names of people who attended gatherings.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of infiltrating

Verb

An ancient Nazi scientist (Dan Stevens) crawling across a carpet to lick a woman’s stilettoed foot.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026
Classicist and Roman plumbing expert Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow suggests that private toilets might have been cut off from the municipal sewers to prevent animals crawling up the pipes and into homes.

— Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of crawling

Verb

The estate sprawls across 77 acres of pastoral tranquility, with trails snaking through the woods, oak trees towering over lawns, and birdsong filling the air.

— Brian Cicioni, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2026
The Premier League trophy was kept out of the way, not shown off, apart from the blazing cover picture in the souvenir programme which ensured queues snaking through the crowd to purchase this special memento.

— Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of snaking

Verb

The 49ers, an otherwise good team, have for the past couple of months been weaving and slipping bad news like a boxer trying to avoid a knockout punch.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
The campaign showcases Diesel’s creased denim treated with resin, 3-D denim, trompe l’oeil cable knit denim and the new regular-fit D-Heel jean, which has hidden vertical slits near the ankle, perfect for slipping through a stiletto heel.

— Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of slipping

Browse Nearby Words

wormholes

worming

worms

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“Worming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worming. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of worming

verb

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