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
Last month, hackers wormed their way into Tea and accessed sensitive user data; 70,000 user images and more than 1 million private messages reportedly were leaked, including communications about abortions, users’ driver’s-license photos, and phone numbers that had been shared in private messages.
—
Albert Fox Cahn, The Atlantic, 11 Aug. 2025
Born in Georgia, McAllister was a lawyer who married a minor heiress, toured Europe, then wormed his way into the upper echelons of New York’s elite, advising them on how to emulate the Old World’s aristocracy and becoming a special friend of Mrs. Astor.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2025
There's also the matter of the cartel's interest in leveraging Tommy to worm their way into the oil business.
—EW.com, 27 July 2025
Technically, the Singapore Sling is not a tiki drink, but this tropical concoction has wormed its way into the tiki canon.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 26 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for worm
Albert Fox Cahn, The Atlantic, 11 Aug. 2025
Born in Georgia, McAllister was a lawyer who married a minor heiress, toured Europe, then wormed his way into the upper echelons of New York’s elite, advising them on how to emulate the Old World’s aristocracy and becoming a special friend of Mrs. Astor.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2025
There's also the matter of the cartel's interest in leveraging Tommy to worm their way into the oil business.
—EW.com, 27 July 2025
Technically, the Singapore Sling is not a tiki drink, but this tropical concoction has wormed its way into the tiki canon.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 26 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for worm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worm
Verb
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The atmosphere of a Gothic novel creeps over you; encroaching mist along the outcroppings.—
Leanna Renee Hieber,
Big Think,
2 Oct. 2025
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The screen’s bulk and curvature strain outward to encroach upon viewers, who watch from tiered bleachers enclosed on three sides by a chain-link fence.—
Anne Reeve,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Chemicals are released at all stages in the lifecycle of plastics and can infiltrate our bodies.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
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While a wallpaper photographed by Calle was turned into a key black-and-white print in the collection, with small bellflowers blossoming on shirts and pants, a flavor for Orientalism infiltrated Rizza’s designs, inspired by some of Calle’s snapshots.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Farther north in Al Mawasi, just west of Khan Younis, the thousands of tents snake their way up the coast, taking over any inch of available space, creating a semblance of a new city among the canvas, according to satellite images viewed by ABC News.—
Victoria Beaule,
ABC News,
7 Oct. 2025
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Of course, a raw peak power figure looks impressive on paper but is far from the bottom line when snaking your way up and down mountains of sand in the desert.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But Kansas City — both the team and its city of supporters — are hoping for a win to insert a dash of optimism into what’s been a tricky season so far.—
Chandler Boese,
Kansas City Star,
10 Oct. 2025
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Working with one shrimp at a time, insert a toothpick sideways and under the vein of the shrimp in the second joint from the tail.—
Elizabeth Mervosh,
Southern Living,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Instead of nurturing bold concepts through this early stage, investors are now implicitly asking that entrepreneurs crawl through it alone.—
Roman Axelrod,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
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And there's these little worms crawling around.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, Billie sneaks out and finds where Morsus is keeping Quentin.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
8 Oct. 2025
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In need of a place to hide out, Manchester sneaks into a Toys R’ Us in Charlotte.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Not even creeping death could quash the rock star within.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
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The film weds Jewish mysticism and slow-creeping horror with all the anxiety of new lesbian love.—
Samantha Allen,
Them.,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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While Google still dominates the search market and has taken steps to integrate AI into the search experience, its market share has been slipping.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
11 Oct. 2025
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In winter, Montréal slips into snow-globe mode, all candlelit bistros and cozy gastropubs serving warming local classics from gourmet poutine to tourtière.—
Siobhan Reid,
Vogue,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Worm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worm. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
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