as in fumbled
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
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Recent Examples of groped
Once in the pool, the man grabbed and groped the girl, police said.
—
Larry Seward, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
Leverage Federal juries found Uber liable in two cases where one driver in North Carolina groped a woman and another in Arizona raped a woman.
—Sacbee.com, 8 May 2026
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
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
Andrew had reported that Owen groped him, encouraged him to undress and kissed him during sessions.
—Jessica Schreifels, ProPublica, 27 Mar. 2026
Larry Seward, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
Leverage Federal juries found Uber liable in two cases where one driver in North Carolina groped a woman and another in Arizona raped a woman.
—Sacbee.com, 8 May 2026
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
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
Andrew had reported that Owen groped him, encouraged him to undress and kissed him during sessions.
—Jessica Schreifels, ProPublica, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for groped
Verb
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During Miami’s two periods of special teams work Malik Washington fumbled his first kickoff return, but most of the other punt returners and kickoff returned fielded their attempts well.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
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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
Verb
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The man looked at me in a rustling way, swaying toward me, his Styrofoam plate of angel hair and cherry tomatoes dotted with tiny black seeds like ants’ eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
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Japan’s Nikkei 225 hit a record high, signaling that investors have looked past the geopolitical uncertainty.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Questions about the rumors eventually reached Pixar executives.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
5 June 2026
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Eastside Innovation, the developer trying to bring a billion-dollar, mixed-use development to the site where Indian Springs Mall once stood, has reached an impasse with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCK over a key sticking point.—
Sofi Zeman,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Groped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groped. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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