grope

1 of 2

verb

ˈgrōp 

groped; groping

intransitive verb

1

: to feel about blindly or uncertainly in search

grope for the light switch

2

: to look for something blindly or uncertainly

grope for the right words

3

: to feel one's way

groped along the dark passage

transitive verb

1

: feel up

claims that her boss tried to grope her

2

: to find (one's way) by groping

groper noun

grope

2 of 2

noun

plural gropes

: an act of groping

made a grope for the light switch

And what are these clumsy, embarrassing, fumbling encounters if they are not passes, beery gropes in the dark?

—Nick Hornby

Synonyms

Verb

• fumble
• look
• reach

Examples of grope in a Sentence

Verb

I groped for the light switch.

She groped around in her purse, looking for her comb.

We groped along the dark passage.

She claims that her boss tried to grope her.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In September, he was accused of groping the butts of at least three different women and a 15-year-old girl at locations in Westwood and Delhi Township. —Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025

He’s accused of groping and mugging a 36-year-old woman. —Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 24 June 2025

Noun

Deputy gropes grocery store worker during ride home In August 2019, Clark responded to a Rosamond grocery store parking lot about a fight, prosecutors said. —Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 6 June 2025

At moments, the recorded strings grope toward a recognizable tonality, with trembling triads superimposed. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English grāpian; akin to Old English grīpan to seize

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1513, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing grope

• grope one's way

Rhymes for grope

• cope
• dope
• lope
• mope
• nope
• rope
• scope
• shope
• slope
• soap
• stope
• swope

Kids Definition

grope

verb

ˈgrōp 

groped; groping

1

: to seek by or as if by feeling around uncertainly

groped for the light switch

grope for the right word

2

: to feel one's way by groping

grope along a wall