as in fumbled
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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Recent Examples of groped
Taylor claims Lee groped and kissed her and then forced his hand into her pants, penetrating her with his fingers.
—
Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 20 Jan. 2026
After the charges were filed, a man came forward to report that Busfield had allegedly groped the man’s 16-year-old daughter during auditions for a play in Sacramento several years ago.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 14 Jan. 2026
During the ride, one of the men groped Rosalinda, who was fourteen.
—Jordan Salama, New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2025
Derek Dixon, who appeared in The Oval and Ruthless, sued Perry in June, alleging that the mogul pinned him against a wall and groped him.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 26 Dec. 2025
Look no further than Mexico’s first woman president, who was recently groped on the street during a public appearance.
—Suzette Hackney, USA Today, 21 Dec. 2025
The victim told police that Hamilton began performing the massage and then groped her, slid his hands down her body and assaulted her, according to a Davidson County arrest affidavit.
—Kelly Puente, Nashville Tennessean, 16 Dec. 2025
Harry had claimed Kevin Spacey groped him amid the wave of MeToo allegations.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 20 Nov. 2025
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will press charges against a man who groped her in public, in a brazen display that experts say underscores the country’s rampant misogyny.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 20 Jan. 2026
After the charges were filed, a man came forward to report that Busfield had allegedly groped the man’s 16-year-old daughter during auditions for a play in Sacramento several years ago.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 14 Jan. 2026
During the ride, one of the men groped Rosalinda, who was fourteen.
—Jordan Salama, New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2025
Derek Dixon, who appeared in The Oval and Ruthless, sued Perry in June, alleging that the mogul pinned him against a wall and groped him.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 26 Dec. 2025
Look no further than Mexico’s first woman president, who was recently groped on the street during a public appearance.
—Suzette Hackney, USA Today, 21 Dec. 2025
The victim told police that Hamilton began performing the massage and then groped her, slid his hands down her body and assaulted her, according to a Davidson County arrest affidavit.
—Kelly Puente, Nashville Tennessean, 16 Dec. 2025
Harry had claimed Kevin Spacey groped him amid the wave of MeToo allegations.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 20 Nov. 2025
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will press charges against a man who groped her in public, in a brazen display that experts say underscores the country’s rampant misogyny.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for groped
Verb
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When Kahn fumbled Rivaldo’s shot from the edge of the box, Ronaldo was on hand to convert the rebound.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2026
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In turn, the Heat fumbled it away.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Buehler struggled in Boston, but looked good enough during his brief time with the Phillies to generate interest from the Padres and other teams.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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During the years 2021 to 2025, China’s submarine building surpassed that of the US in both numbers of subs launched – 10 to 7 – and tonnage – 79,000 to 55,500, says the report, which looked at shipyard satellite imagery to draw estimates of China’s construction.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The plea followed a similar agreement reached months earlier by his brother, Ovidio Guzmán López, on trafficking and money-laundering charges.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification released a new report saying that acute malnutrition has reached famine levels in two more towns in Darfur.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Groped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groped. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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