1
variants
or grovelling
as in fawning
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
variants
or grovelling
1
2
as in crawling
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.
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Recent Examples of grovel
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
Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2026
Political courage is needed, especially from the cowardly, groveling Congress.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grovel
Verb
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
Verb
Cue the fine and the groveling league apology.
—Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2026
Political courage is needed, especially from the cowardly, groveling Congress.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grovel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grovel
Verb
-
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
-
While some automotive enthusiasts still cringe at the mention of a continuously variable transmission, Subaru’s execution here is among the better examples in the industry.—
Tim Jackson,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
As pests crawl through it, its jagged edges scrape their exoskeletons, dehydrating and killing them.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
18 June 2026
-
For cybersecurity companies, identifying a digital agent crawling a website used to be enough evidence of malicious activity.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
The story does not flinch from the realities of segregation, including the violence that the family faced moving into white neighborhoods in Fort Worth in the 1950s, but there is more hope than fear, more faith in the power of righteousness to defeat injustice, in its pages.—
Rob Salkowitz,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
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Credit card APRs are still parked near record highs, after all, and rates on mortgages and many other loan products have barely flinched, meaning there are big affordability challenges for those who need to borrow money in today's landscape.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
18 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
-
With several strippers, patrons and employees cowering in fear, the two men talk.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
1 June 2026
-
Anaia, feeling jilted that the letter was addressed only to Racine, cowers in hurt, like a street cat.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Longtime stores and newer spots at destinations like The Strip District Terminal are bringing extra staff, extending hours and stocking up for busy weekends when sidewalks are shoulder-to-shoulder, and lines snake out the doors.—
Gabby Sartori,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
-
In certain soaring drone shots, the Gobi’s dry, greige sprawl looks like nothing so much as the surface of another planet, at least until it’s disrupted by snaking manmade infrastructure and drab light industry.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
18 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
Cite this Entry
“Grovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grovel. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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