Thesaurus results for GROVELED

groveled

verb

variants or grovelled

past tense of grovel

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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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

Mingione cringed when asked if any of his players had gotten hurt by a hit by pitch.

— Mitch Light, New York Times, 22 May 2026
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

Definition of cringed

Verb

Hull testified that Robinson later returned in different clothing, walking with a limp, rolled onto the roof of a building on campus and crawled to the edge of the rooftop around the time the shot was fired.

— N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 10 July 2026
Their father dismounted, went down on foot, climbed the fence his son had crawled under.

— Emily Ruskovich, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026

Definition of crawled

Verb

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
The kid never flinched, played almost every game.

— David Aldridge, New York Times, 21 June 2026

Definition of flinched

Verb

Grubbs grew up in a northwest suburb called Marietta, before the sprawl of Atlanta crept in.

— Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026
Indiana had crept back within striking distance early in the third quarter, and Gainbridge was rocking, sensing a signature Fever win in the making.

— Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 16 July 2026

Definition of crept

Verb

The other customers cowered in the corners, while crowds formed at the windows outside, shrieking and recording the scene on their phones.

— Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
But Wednesday night, they were handed a harsh lesson from a true contender — one that smelled blood against a team that cowered and played scared to death from the 20-minute mark on.

— Michael Russo, New York Times, 14 May 2026

Definition of cowered

Verb

Homebuyer affordability slid in June for the fifth consecutive month, according to the National Association of Realtors' latest housing affordability index.

— Sarah Agostino, CNBC, 17 July 2026
Cargo space measures 56 cubic feet behind the second row and expands to a healthy 112 cubic feet (3,171 L) with the seats folded and slid forward.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 17 July 2026

Definition of slid

Verb

Food trucks reopened after the storm and long lines snaked around the vendor area.

— Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 4 July 2026
The famous crack snaked through during its ringing at the funeral of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835 and widened beyond repair in 1846 while marking George Washington’s birthday.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 June 2026

Definition of snaked

Verb

Laura stepped right into her body, felt a small resistance and then the give as the rival slithered, eagerly, into the air.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
Homeownership feels increasingly out of reach for many Americans, but not for this group of creatures, which slithered into an uninhabited home in Arkansas, much to the chagrin of the realtor trying to sell it.

— Drew Pittock, USA Today, 5 June 2026

Definition of slithered

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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grovel

groveled

groveler

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“Groveled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groveled. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of groveled

verb

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