1
2
as in to infiltrate
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of worm
Clara ends up moving to the small town and worming her way into everyone’s hearts.
—
Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
Guiteau eventually worms his way into an audience, ostensibly seeking an ambassadorship for his dubious contributions to the campaign but, in reality, requesting a path to greatness.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
Popping in and out of the party's campaign headquarters with abandon (Secret Service didn't begin to protect the president until 1901), Guiteau tries to worm his way into Garfield's circle and somehow profit.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Any deal would need to worm its way through the competition regulator.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for worm
Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
Guiteau eventually worms his way into an audience, ostensibly seeking an ambassadorship for his dubious contributions to the campaign but, in reality, requesting a path to greatness.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
Popping in and out of the party's campaign headquarters with abandon (Secret Service didn't begin to protect the president until 1901), Guiteau tries to worm his way into Garfield's circle and somehow profit.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Any deal would need to worm its way through the competition regulator.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for worm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worm
Verb
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Luis Palma stepped up to take it, and Wickens got down low to his right-hand side to keep it out, only for the save to be scratched off as Ross County players encroached into the box.—
Eduardo Tansley,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
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Paglen’s ideas, collected between two covers, carve a clean, linear path through our messy neural era, engaging in the kind of big-picture sense-making that books remain well suited to do, even as AI encroaches on this terrain.—
Louis Bury,
ARTnews.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Expect launch photos, snaps of historic hardware destined for space, images of the night sky and, from time to time, photographic evidence of our entertainment editor Ian Stokes infiltrating Amazon's London office to sneak a peek at their May the 4th Star Wars offering … allegedly.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
2 May 2026
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In The Second Lady, when America’s beloved First Lady is abducted and replaced by a Russian double, both women must fight to survive—one navigating captivity in Siberia, the other infiltrating the White House to sabotage NATO during the G7 Summit.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Attendees began lining up outside the Idaho Central Credit Union Arena hours before the event and as the start time ticked closer, the line snaked far down the sidewalk and began wrapping around the dome where the University of Idaho football team plays.—
Saige Miller,
NPR,
30 Apr. 2026
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Then in 2022, Rich Strike got into the field only because another horse withdrew the day before and snaked through the home stretch to win at odds longer than 80-1.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That required segmenting the coil and inserting electronics within it to keep it from radiating its energy away like an antenna.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Apr. 2026
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The calls for Rioux came whenever the Gators held big leads late in a game, with students and fans hoping coach Todd Golden would insert him into the game.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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However, during one segment of the performance, a snake reportedly bit the German tourist after crawling into his clothing.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
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Wages for hourly employees have crawled, while the paychecks of investors and executives have soared.—
Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Other methods of sneaking contraband into a prison include throwing it over a facility’s fence, coordinating through the mail and, in some cases, involving corrupt corrections officers.—
Taylor Galgano,
CNN Money,
3 May 2026
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Much like his Game 1 game-winning goal, Mattias Samuelsson used a screen from the towering Thompson to sneak a long-range shot past Jeremy Swayman on the short side.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Win it, and suddenly the series tightens, the doubt creeps in and the path gets a lot more complicated for Orlando.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
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For another easy-to-care-for choice that relishes sunlight, look to creeping juniper and its beautifully hazy blue-green leaves.—
Melissa Epifano,
The Spruce,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Disney shares slipped around 1% on the news in Tuesday trading.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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While the seven-round draft feels exhaustive each year, the truth is good prospects, even Hall of Fame caliber ones, can slip through.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Worm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worm. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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