1
as in to cringe
to draw back or crouch down in fearful submission the way in which the abused dog would grovel whenever its owner came near

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to crawl
to move slowly with the body close to the ground because of their anatomy, bats can only grovel while moving along the ground

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of grovel As the Cabinet went around the room, even some conservatives denounced the display of groveling before Trump. Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2025 Related Articles Letters: Apple’s biggest problem is groveling for Trump Trump’s commerce secretary says new electronics tariff exemptions are temporary, chip tariffs coming These Silicon Valley tech leaders donated to Donald Trump. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2025 What begins as a modest levy swells into a sprawling system, where bureaucrats decide who pays, who benefits, and who grovels for exemptions. Jon Fleischman, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2025 Of course, that doesn’t apply in Trump’s government where merit is completely overridden by groveling and total worship of the president. Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 29 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for grovel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grovel
Verb
  • In 2021, Cookie reminded her church friends to watch the Hulu show based on my book Dopesick, only to cringe at the gay storyline and multiple f‑bombs in the first episode.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Snoop Dogg attempted a bit of the foreign tongue, but Niall Horan was right to cringe at his efforts.
    Andy Swift, TVLine, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Instead of nurturing bold concepts through this early stage, investors are now implicitly asking that entrepreneurs crawl through it alone.
    Roman Axelrod, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
  • And there's these little worms crawling around.
    Steve Bender, Southern Living, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Ross passed the day's examination with flying colors – barely flinching at the rubber chicken.
    Laura L. Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 6 Oct. 2025
  • But none of the band members ever flinched over the divide that formed over their pre- and post-Vheissu sound.
    Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The shadow of a mad scientist is always creeping over his shoulder, tapping on it, reminding him to be clever.
    Troy Renck, Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2025
  • After battling late summer heat, the Greater Cincinnati region is finally starting to cool down with fall temperatures slowly creeping in.
    Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • After all, Santos believes right-leaning voices shouldn’t cower just because their positions deviate from the Hollywood norm.
    Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Anyone living in one of the dozens of surrounding villages, such as Nazareth, who was not rounded up must have cowered in fear behind closed doors or hidden in the various underground cisterns and hewn chambers beneath the ancient houses and courtyards of the Jewish villages.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Farther north in Al Mawasi, just west of Khan Younis, the thousands of tents snake their way up the coast, taking over any inch of available space, creating a semblance of a new city among the canvas, according to satellite images viewed by ABC News.
    Victoria Beaule, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Of course, a raw peak power figure looks impressive on paper but is far from the bottom line when snaking your way up and down mountains of sand in the desert.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • As Allure previously reported, there were no incidents of capsular contracture, rupture, infection, malposition (implants sliding out of place), inflammatory reactions, or hematoma (blood pooling under the skin) in the Mia trial.
    Jolene Edgar, Allure, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In August, Kravitz told Meyers that her mom's pet snake, Orpheus, had gotten loose and slithered into a small hole in the corner of the bathroom.
    Bryan West, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Meanwhile, Mercury and later the sun will slither through Scorpio, energizing your creative and romantic sector, sparking ideas and potential passion projects.
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Grovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grovel. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

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