Synonyms of grovel

grovel

verb

ˈgrä-vᵊl 

1

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

• cringe
• flinch
• cower
• recoil
• quail
• kowtow
• blanch
• whiten
• shrink
• fawn
• toady
• blench
• squinch

2

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

• crawl
• creep
• snake
• slide
• slither
• wriggle
• worm
• tiptoe
• crouch
• squat
• sneak
• belly
• steal
• inch
• edge
• skulk
• nose

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of grovel

Of course, that doesn’t apply in Trump’s government where merit is completely overridden by groveling and total worship of the president. —Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 29 Jan. 2025

But the argument that the US has often leveled — that China is a predatory actor on the world stage, using trade and investment to bend countries to its will — has become harder to make in a world where the president of the United States is bragging about the countries coming to grovel before him. —Joshua Keating, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018

It is predicated on fealty to the Big Lie, familial ties and a self-deprecating willingness to grovel before indecency. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 29 Dec. 2024

One moment involves Dickinson smashing up china and making Romy grovel on the floor to pick up the pieces. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 28 Dec. 2024