as in fumbling
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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Recent Examples of groping
Tajul Islam, 55, is accused of groping and molesting the victims inside Masjid Bilal Queens on Sutphin Blvd.
—
Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
Jennifer Jackson, 39, was charged with felony counts of groping a 15-year-old girl and vandalism.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
Patients accused Heaps of groping them, performing unnecessarily invasive examinations and making suggestive comments.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 3 Feb. 2026
After literally years of groping around in the dark, Brazil do, at least, have the makings of a plan under Ancelotti.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Busfield is accused of groping a 16-year-old girl who was auditioning for a role at the B Street Theatre in Sacramento, according to a prosecution filing.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 14 Jan. 2026
The current warrant affidavit, which references the Little Big League incident, also cited other prior accusations, including a 2012 groping allegation in Los Angeles.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 13 Jan. 2026
Everyone—libidinous kids and adults alike—is alienated and groping for distraction, until tragedy strikes.
—The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 21 Dec. 2025
Among his convictions, Rahab was convicted of groping the butts of at least three different women and a 15-year-old girl in 2023.
—Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Nov. 2025
Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
Jennifer Jackson, 39, was charged with felony counts of groping a 15-year-old girl and vandalism.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
Patients accused Heaps of groping them, performing unnecessarily invasive examinations and making suggestive comments.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 3 Feb. 2026
After literally years of groping around in the dark, Brazil do, at least, have the makings of a plan under Ancelotti.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Busfield is accused of groping a 16-year-old girl who was auditioning for a role at the B Street Theatre in Sacramento, according to a prosecution filing.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 14 Jan. 2026
The current warrant affidavit, which references the Little Big League incident, also cited other prior accusations, including a 2012 groping allegation in Los Angeles.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 13 Jan. 2026
Everyone—libidinous kids and adults alike—is alienated and groping for distraction, until tragedy strikes.
—The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 21 Dec. 2025
Among his convictions, Rahab was convicted of groping the butts of at least three different women and a 15-year-old girl in 2023.
—Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for groping
Verb
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Like, for example, calling a risky trick play in South Bend that resulted in wide receiver Makai Lemon fumbling on first-and-10 from the Notre Dame 37-yard line down three points in the fourth quarter.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
25 May 2026
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The whole series comes down to the Cavs fumbling away Game 1.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
24 May 2026
Verb
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Both teams are looking for a healthy seven-game series, but the Knicks seeing their best scorer heading off the court early isn't the way the Eastern Conference champions wanted to kick off their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999 against these same Spurs.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
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At the same time, the tech giants and others in the industry are looking for ways to cut costs, including through layoffs.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Groping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groping. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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