groveled

variants or grovelled
Definition of grovelednext
past tense of grovel
1
as in cringed
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 crawled
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for groveled
Verb
  • For a decade, viewers have cringed at Amanda Batula and Kyle Cooke’s rocky relationship, the dénouement of which is currently playing out on season ten of Summer House.
    Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2026
  • And the mother of Carter, a 5-year-old boy, cringed in fear when Carter (who was celebrating his birthday) was approached at a neighborhood bike park by a group of much older boys.
    Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Margot, who works for a social-media platform called Kino and shares a New Orleans apartment with her bestie, Ryan (Aaron Holliday), has only just crawled out of a dark period and doesn’t require much to teeter back in.
    Alison Willmore, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
  • As a toddler, Gabriela crawled about the UCLA clubhouse at reunions.
    Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Gorajski flinched and ducked out of the way like Cisek was an incoming meteor.
    Tony Baranek, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Her coach never flinched, as Kara Lawson basked in the joy of winning such a big game in a city that has embraced her.
    Joe Davidson March 27, Sacbee.com, 28 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • As the '80s gave way to the '90s and, later, the new millennium crept in, all-male singing groups became a defining part of pop culture.
    Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Even so, a little magic has crept into the proceedings, with some brands concealing their cleverness in plain sight and others putting more of the horological art on display.
    Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • One of the dogs ran off while the other cowered under a vehicle parked in the resident’s driveway.
    Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Apr. 2026
  • On a night there was something tangible to play for — which might not be the case in the three remaining regular-season games — Erik Spoelstra’s team cowered in the moment, with a 17-point deficit before halftime, a gap that would grow to 27, in what turned into a 121-95 loss at Scotiabank Arena.
    Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • When Holloway pulled the puck back to his forehand to finish into the empty net, he was robbed by Morrissey, who had slid desperately to his left like a street hockey goalie to make a shocking stick save.
    Murat Ates, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
  • In just seconds, those pesky signs of aging were nearly invisible, and my makeup slid over them instead of sinking in.
    Cathy Nelson, InStyle, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Airport-security lines snaked into terminal basements or out their front doors.
    Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
  • As rain poured on the northern provinces of Iran in late March, a somber crowd snaked through the mountain ranges of Asara carrying the coffin of Mohammad Reza Kia.
    Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The driver had a rough idea as to when the snake slithered into his vehicle.
    Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
  • As an adaptation of an old Alsop Fable goes, a frog was about to jump into the water when a scorpion slithered by.
    Harvey Levine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Groveled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groveled. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.

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