groveled

variants or grovelled
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
  • This isn’t the first time that Guthrie has publicly cringed over having to ask the question.
    Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Oct. 2025
  • During a hospital stay, Roy’s enfeebled mother fixates on the caste and religious affiliations of the doctors treating her—the sort of thing that will be familiar to anyone who has cringed at a diminished elder’s unfiltered prejudices.
    Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Modern Wall Street has killed just about everything cool that walks or crawled at one time or another.
    Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The van’s driver then crawled out of his vehicle’s window, crossed over a median and was instantly struck by a car speeding in the opposite direction, which was broadcast by the news helicopter following the chase.
    Brian Niemietz, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Sharen Gibson, 72, never flinched.
    Barbara Bry, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2025
  • But none of the band members ever flinched over the divide that formed over their pre- and post-Vheissu sound.
    Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • For many parts of the country, the average date of the first fall frost has passed, and the chill of autumn nights has already crept in, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
    Stuart Dyos, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Pain crept into the set of his mouth.
    Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • In one incident, a predator, confirmed by a state biologist to have been a wolf, attacked an elk on the front steps of a home in Sierra County as the college-age son of the owner cowered inside, alone and afraid amid the growls and thumps that were shaking the front door.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The power management company slid 4% on lackluster third-quarter results .
    Michelle Fox, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Lucas Paqueta equalised, Sven Botman slid the ball into his own net and then Tomas Soucek gilded the scoreline at the death and, through all of it, Newcastle were powerless.
    George Caulkin, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Long lines snaked around the terminal Sunday.
    Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Debates have raged in the busy industry program, standby ticket queues have snaked outside venues for the hottest premieres and the stars — in their droves — have been out in force and on major charm offensives, with distributors using the fest to launch both awards and release campaigns.
    Alex Ritman, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Zelina slithered on the ramp in a snake-like manner as Black stood behind her.
    Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
  • In August, Kravitz told Meyers that her mom's pet snake, Orpheus, had gotten loose and slithered into a small hole in the corner of the bathroom.
    Bryan West, USA Today, 9 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 8 Nov. 2025.

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