Definition of grovelnext
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

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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 Political courage is needed, especially from the cowardly, groveling Congress. Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 18 Jan. 2026 That’s the saddest cash-grab gimmick ever, groveling for Dubai dollars. Sports Columnist, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Jan. 2026 The stringent businessman makes Marty suffer and grovel for his money, at one point exerting his power by spanking the young man’s bare bottom with a wooden ping-pong paddle. Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025 Rather than wait it out until January 2029, when magical thinking assumes the current transatlantic nightmare will come to an end, the EU needs to stop groveling and build greater sovereignty. Matthias Matthijs, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for grovel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grovel
Verb
  • This Father's Day, break out these silly (and slightly cringe-y) one-liners, puns, riddles, and jokes.
    Jamie Fischer, Parents, 20 June 2026
  • Enervated cuteness and tryhard sincerity define a whole new wave of musicians, from Pittsburgh rockers feeble little horse to cringe-pop upcycler Worldpeace DMT to SoundCloud producer MASSI, whose songs spill with the tiny adorable detail of a toy train set.
    Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 15 June 2026
Verb
  • Seltz’s system crawls hundreds of millions of pages a day, and returns results in under 200 milliseconds.
    Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 24 June 2026
  • The animal eventually crawled under a dock.
    Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026
Verb
  • With five seasons of Disney media training under their belts, the trio didn’t flinch.
    Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026
  • Sipp slightly flinched his left arm before throwing a pitch to Emmanuel Burriss, allowing Miguel Tejada to score and sending San Francisco to its fourth straight win.
    Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026
Verb
  • As our conversation extends into the hour mark, her hood creeps upward along the side of her face most visible to those around us.
    José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 23 June 2026
  • For my microgeneration, the disillusionment crept in with the savage failure of the Iraq War.
    Christopher Hooks, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
Verb
  • Democracies are composed of citizens with free will, not subjects cowering at the feet of rulers.
    Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 June 2026
  • With several strippers, patrons and employees cowering in fear, the two men talk.
    Selome Hailu, Variety, 1 June 2026
Verb
  • Note a new parade route this year, starting at the corner of 12th Avenue and North 3rd Street and snaking down 5th Avenue toward South 8th Street.
    Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 24 June 2026
  • Today, the two bands have announced the Bitch Cabal Tour, a co-headlining run snaking its way across the American Midwest and South this fall.
    Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 23 June 2026
Verb
  • Ranging into right field, Pages tracked down a line drive off Tyler Ward’s bat and made a sliding catch for the first out of the third inning.
    Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026
  • The 18-year-old forward slid in at the far post to touch home a low cross for the opening goal and became the eighth-youngest scorer in World Cup history.
    CBS News, CBS News, 21 June 2026
Verb
  • North Carolina is crawling, or perhaps slithering, with copperheads.
    Eva Flowe, Charlotte Observer, 22 June 2026
  • On land, movements range from crawling and slithering (worms, mollusks, arthropods, snakes) to walking and running.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Grovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grovel. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.

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