Definition of gropenext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of grope But there’s a savvy 2026 vibe about the way the film refuses to create florid melodrama out of quotidian crisis, and instead observes with generosity as the characters grope awkwardly toward emotional détente and mutual forgiveness. Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026 The juvenile was allegedly approached by a man who tried starting a conversation and groped them. Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 26 June 2026 In each incident, women were standing alone when the attacker grabbed them from behind and groped them, police said. Adam Harrington, CBS News, 22 June 2026 Men gathered at village auctions to grope and prod Black people; the shapes of their muscles and strength of their teeth determined their value, babies included. Literary Hub, 16 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for grope
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grope
Verb
  • Lake Brantley appeared to have picked up the first down on third down but the ball was fumbled backwards to put the Patriots in fourth and long.
    Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026
  • After Carter Jensen flew out to deep center field, Caglianone tagged from second base and kept running toward home as outfielder Andy Pages fumbled the baseball out of his glove.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The smallest rooms, the Cosy Doubles, look onto the inner courtyard; the best turn towards Avenida dos Aliados.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Aug. 2026
  • That sentence does not even look right on paper, let alone warrant a confusing 60-minute production that builds to a drag queen being shot.
    Hannah Brueske, Twin Cities, 11 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The back-and-forth suggested the two sides were no closer to reaching an agreement that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
    Kevin Liptak, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The price swung between $72 and $102 last month as hopes rose and fell that the United States and Iran could reach an agreement that would allow oil tankers to freely exit the Middle East again to deliver crude worldwide.
    Frank Andrews, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Grope.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grope. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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