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 premise has the potential for slapstick silliness, as an incompetent Seoul family fumbles its way through opening a hunting lodge in the Korean countryside.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
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As Lester fumbles for his bird whistle in the fountain to activate the camera, he gets thrown back in this tussle with Tillman and is killed.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The boy jerks his head as if to wake himself, turns around abruptly and looks the other way, even though there’s nothing special to see besides darkness and emptiness, which is where a living eye should never look.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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The way the Eastern Conference looks right now is only going to make this early-season slump tougher on the Sabres.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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New York only reaches a high in the mid-40s Tuesday afternoon.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
10 Nov. 2025
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When air quality reaches these levels, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advises sensitive groups to avoid prolonged or intense outdoor activities or consider rescheduling or relocating activities indoors.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gropes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gropes. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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