as in fumbles
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 gropes
In the video, a woman exposes herself and an officer, identified by investigators as Herman, gropes her, police said in a statement last year.
—
Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 15 Aug. 2025
Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gropes
Verb
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The Seahawks are a high-turnover team on both sides of the ball, but the 49ers have forced just two takeaways in the season series — both fumbles in the opener.—
Michael Nowels,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
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The Honda backs up a few feet as the agent fumbles at the door handle.—
George Petras,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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More than 1450 days later, that timeframe looks hopelessly naïve and has proved to have been a fundamental miscalculation that has taken a devastating toll in pain, destruction and bloodshed.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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Being back on the circuit looks a lot different.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For continual production of round leaves even when the tree reaches maturity, plant Eucalyptus cinerea.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
21 Feb. 2026
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The antenna is mounted on a piece of broken concrete, and the signal reaches less than a mile.—
Freddie Clayton,
NBC news,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gropes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gropes. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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