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
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
According to the police report, the mother was cornered and groped at her car with her children in the back seat before the man ran away.
—Ashley Sharp, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grope
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
According to the police report, the mother was cornered and groped at her car with her children in the back seat before the man ran away.
—Ashley Sharp, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grope
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grope
Verb
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The stress of getting to your airport gate on time, coupled with the excitement of getting to your destination, can cause even the most seasoned of travelers to fumble at security checkpoints.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
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Santillan appears to be fumbling away his opportunity, allowing nine runs (eight earned) over his last five appearances.—
Mike Barner,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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But the companies are now looking increasingly to expand the market for weight-loss drugs that have revolutionized the pharmaceutical space in recent years.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
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The 76ers looked tired, injured and shallow, relying on only six guys for most of a short series.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
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For one, tech behemoth Microsoft reported better-than-expected quarterly results recently and told investors that capital expenditures for the year will reach $190 billion due to soaring memory costs.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
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Magazines — particularly ones that center fashion or elements of culture that have little to do with sports — have been go-to spaces for tennis stars looking to reach a broad audience and perhaps cast themselves as more than just athletes.—
Ava Wallace,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grope.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grope. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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