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

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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
  • As Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe joined The View Thursday for an interview about his role in the new NBC comedy The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, the superstar cringed when the show cued up a clip of one of his early auditions to play the boy wizard.
    Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Auriemma cringed at the suggestion this team was better than last year’s.
    Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The animal had crawled into a drain pipe during a cold snap and could not turn around to escape.
    Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2026
  • As seen on video from the scene, traffic crawled along the expressway as smoke billowed from the cars and firefighters worked to extinguish the fire.
    Asal Rezaei, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Everyone in the barber shop flinched at the sound and tensed their shoulders.
    Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
  • The United Arab Emirates said Dubai’s main airport had been affected, and tourists and others flinched at the booms of interceptors.
    Cara Anna, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • But as application deadlines loomed, doubt crept in.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026
  • This book by Jessamine Chan crept its way into my marrow and refused to get out.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Tourists and residents cowered in fear.
    Suzanne Gamboa, NBC news, 23 Feb. 2026
  • Anyone living in one of the dozens of surrounding villages, such as Nazareth, who was not rounded up must have cowered in fear behind closed doors or hidden in the various underground cisterns and hewn chambers beneath the ancient houses and courtyards of the Jewish villages.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • With just over a minute to play in the period, Shaugabay slid a perfect pass from the right-side corner across the crease where Andersen tapped it home to hand Warroad its first multi-goal advantage.
    Andrew Cornelius, Twin Cities, 7 Mar. 2026
  • The mouthpiece landed in front of a fan sitting courtside and slid toward the foot of Mavericks assistant coach Jay Triano.
    Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 7 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • With roses snaked around the mic stands to match the roses on her cowboy hat, Kirke strummed acoustic guitar with minimal accompaniment — pedal steel guitar, bass and drums.
    Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 27 Feb. 2026
  • Lines have snaked outside of Christy’s Tasty Queen all week, full of people hoping to get their hands on a few final pork tenderloin sandwiches.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • And then, with Barnes out of the game due to an ankle injury, Ingram slithered his way to a layup and helped force a Jusuf Nurkic miss on the other end to help put the game away in the fourth.
    Eric Koreen, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
  • Zelina slithered on the ramp in a snake-like manner as Black stood behind her.
    Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
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 10 Mar. 2026.

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