as in to fumble
to search for something blindly or uncertainly
she groped in her purse for her car keys groping for the right answer
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grope
My body, however, had become an object of desire—I was catcalled, harassed, or groped on the way home from the movies or school.
—
Leila Mottley, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2026
Police are looking for a man who has groped at least two women recently at the Silver Lake Reservoir.
—Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Since Busfield's arrest, at least four women have told police that the Emmy Award-winning actor and director groped their breasts and genitals and forced himself on them, dating from 1993 to 2000.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 6 Apr. 2026
Louise got out of bed, groped her way across the dark room, found her phone tethered to the charger, then scrolled back through her photos to find the grainy twenty-seven-second video of the ants.
—Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grope
Leila Mottley, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2026
Police are looking for a man who has groped at least two women recently at the Silver Lake Reservoir.
—Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Since Busfield's arrest, at least four women have told police that the Emmy Award-winning actor and director groped their breasts and genitals and forced himself on them, dating from 1993 to 2000.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 6 Apr. 2026
Louise got out of bed, groped her way across the dark room, found her phone tethered to the charger, then scrolled back through her photos to find the grainy twenty-seven-second video of the ants.
—Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grope
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grope
Verb
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Given how badly Karen Bass has fumbled as mayor, Raman couldn’t do much worse.—
Sal Rodriguez,
Daily News,
28 May 2026
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Ethan Bonner forced Dulcich to fumble, and rookie linebacker Trey Moore recovered it for the defense.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
27 May 2026
Verb
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For families This is a rather adult hotel, though parents traveling with kids should look into the apartments—the two-bedroom options all have two single beds in the smaller rooms.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
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Rosie couldn’t have cared less, her eyes were looking only at Rich singing his little songs, not at the drama playing out directly in front of his stage.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The area of the discovery, about 6 miles from Casias’ home, can be reached by a state highway, which she was seen walking along the day she was reported missing.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
1 June 2026
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After needing five pitchers in a rout over Texas State earlier in the day just to reach the regional final out of the losers’ bracket, USC coach Andy Stankiewicz rode Johnson.—
Jose de Jesus Ortiz,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grope.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grope. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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