grovel 1 of 3

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

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groveling

2 of 3

adjective

variants or grovelling

groveling

3 of 3

verb (2)

variants or grovelling
present participle of grovel
1
as in flinching
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 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. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of grovel
Verb
One moment involves Dickinson smashing up china and making Romy grovel on the floor to pick up the pieces. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 28 Dec. 2024 On the first platform, Seychelle sets the tone beautifully by forcing C.K. to grovel, agreeing to help her, then doing nothing anyway. Laura Bradley, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025 What was not anticipated is how quickly and easily the media has capitulated and groveled. Michael Wolff, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2025 Spending months in dark damp tunnels, bodies chained to walls, humans forced to grovel like animals. Greg Palkot, Fox News, 15 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for grovel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grovel
Adjective
  • And the obsequious fealty shown to him by the Republican Party reinforces why a president running amok should never have this much power again.
    Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Republicans insist Zelenskyy hasn’t been sufficiently obsequious to the United States, which is a point Vance hammered.
    The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • So Alex dons a uniform, buses tables and engages in servile labor for the first time in her life.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Trump’s servile devotion to Putin becomes the new norm overnight as Republicans cower in support of Trump’s new Putin policy.
    Bob Kustra, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The bad behavior now is that of an erratic and volatile president, sycophantic and inexperienced Cabinet secretaries, an absentee Congress and financial market players beset with delusional expectations of bailouts.
    Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 13 Apr. 2025
  • Her circle of slightly sycophantic colleagues (Michael Stuhlbarg, Chloe Sevigny) tout her brilliance, even as her reckless former lover Garfield pushes boundaries verbally and, eventually, physically.
    Matt Donnelly, Variety, 3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • And, when the U.S. government began requesting the extradition of the leaders, the Salvadoran courts, subservient to Bukele, repeatedly found excuses to avoid handing them over.
    Danielle Mackey, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Professional associations, such as the Association of German Universities, stayed silent, ignoring key opportunities to resist before universities lost their autonomy and became subservient to the Nazi state.
    Iveta Silova, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The secret in the biscuits is the pairing of cheddar with bacon, with the overall result being worshipful thanks from those who are lucky enough to partake.
    Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Her chef and housekeeper, Bruna (Alba Rohrwacher), is timid and worshipful but able to take quietly decisive action when necessary.
    Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Columbus was a stand-in for the nation’s hagiographic origin story, much like the Mayflower or its Western pioneers.
    Philip Elliott, Time, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Likewise, Hollywood stars were adored in hagiographic terms.
    Michael Ashley, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Grovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grovel. Accessed 5 May. 2025.

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