Thesaurus results for GROVEL

grovel

verb

ˈgrä-vᵊl

Definition of grovel

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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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 Here the adult narrator creates an atmosphere closer to Schulz’s erotic drawings, obsessively filled with images of the artist himself groveling at the feet of lithe young women. — Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 12 Feb. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for grovel

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grovel

Verb

And finally, another one of Wang’s creations mocks Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine’s infamously cringe sexts by showing the pop star losing his mind to a picture of Jolly’s derriere in an Instagram DM.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 24 Sep. 2026
When the outfits hit social media Sunday morning, many Titans fans cringed.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of cringe

Verb

Introduced crawling through the Trask family’s field, her black blood spattering their rich soil like a human pesticide, Cathy personifies the series’ potent blend of dread and beauty.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2026
But centering a nearly dead Cathy Ames (Florence Pugh) is Kazan’s entire intention with this project, and snagging us with the image of her bloody body crawling toward the Trasks’ farmhouse is a tip of the hand toward where East of Eden is going.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of crawl

Verb

Bo Nix didn't flinch from his slow start and Talanoa Hufanga didn't lose faith after dropping two interceptions Sunday night.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026
In my experience, automation becomes commercially viable not when failures disappear, but when the system is built to handle them without flinching.

— Shivansh Inamdar, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of flinch

Verb

Before the girls perform for Eloise, Paulina creeps into the cafeteria alone, carefully made up and dressed in baby blue chiffon (costume designer Qween Jean continues to shoot nothing but net).

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2026
Rain creeps back into the forecast by the middle of next week, when the tides are expected to be closer to normal.

— Alex Harris Updated September 27, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of creep

Verb

The prosecution said the trajectory of the bullet showed that Jean was either getting up from his couch or cowering when Guyger fired at him.

— Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 1 Oct. 2026
Stuhlbarg, whose Vice President tends to cower in terror in the corner of the frame, becomes particularly evident as the movie’s comic secret weapon upon closer examination.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of cower

Verb

Players like Sam Bennett or Anton Lundell could slide into his spot as the top line center, while the rumors will swirl whether Florida could play around with their cap space and sign Dylan Larkin from Detroit.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Word spread quickly, and soon a throng of smartphone-wielding citizens had surrounded the immigration enforcement van, which couldn’t move because one enterprising, early-arriving activist had slid underneath it.

— Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of slide

Verb

Officials issued the alert Monday after a man shared with police an image appearing to show the dangerous reptile slithering from the thin branch of a tree onto the roof of a backyard shed.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Saint Laurent‘s shining gold shoes slithered down the spring 2027 runway on Tuesday to become the talk of Paris Fashion Week, with sculptural snake heels among the collection’s standout footwear.

— Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of slither

Browse Nearby Words

grove

grovel

groveled

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“Grovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grovel. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of grovel

verb

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