worm

1 to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits <settlements worming into lands reserved for the natives> Synonyms creep, inch, encroachRelated Words snake, sneak; entrench (also intrench), impinge, infringe, intrude, invade; overpass, overreach, overrun, overshoot, overstep

2 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 infiltrate, slip, sneak, wind, work in, insinuate, wriggleRelated Words creep, edge, wiggle; insert, interpolate, interpose, introduce

3 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 belly, creep, grovel, slide, slither, snake, crawl, wriggleRelated Words crouch, squat; edge, inch, nose; skulk, sneak, steal, tiptoe