grovels

verb

present tense third-person singular of grovel
1
as in cringes
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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2
as in crawls
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 grovels
  1. cringes
  2. crawls
  3. flinches
  4. creeps
  5. cowers
  6. snakes
  7. slides
Verb
  • The stranger’s curse seems intended to inflict pain not only on the snobbish Anna, who cringes at the slob her son has become, but her pushy husband Walter (Adriano Giannini).
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Payton cringes at the mention of a sophomore slump, that defenses will figure out Nix.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 6 Aug. 2025
Definition of cringes
Verb
  • There’s also a less than 10% chance of showers, if one of the hurricanes crawls farther up the coast, according to Wofford.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Hairy-nosed wombat births are hard to spot, as after about a 30-day pregnancy, the joey crawls into its mother’s pouch.
    — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of crawls
Verb
  • When Lee mentions Nathan Spence was meant to attend the program, Jed barely flinches, expressing sympathy for the boy’s confused and grieving mother.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Warner flinches not about a birthday that is often associated with the beginning of decline.
    — Dan Pompei, New York Times, 21 July 2026
Definition of flinches
Verb
  • As the temperature drops and winter dryness inevitably creeps in, this luxe, delectable formula will serve as your skin savior.
    — Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The tone creeps into despair as the scales fall from Sutskever’s eyes.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of creeps
Verb
  • This isn’t a delicate living room speaker that cowers in a corner.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 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
Definition of cowers
Verb
  • Democrat Kevin Chambliss, 45, defended his seat against Republican Miguel Granda to win another two years representing House District 117, a South Dade district that snakes around the Florida Turnpike.
    — Miami Herald staff, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The new district snakes up through Kansas City’s urban core, in an attempt to create a district more favorable for Republicans in the 5th District.
    — Jack Harvel July 28, Kansas City Star, 28 July 2026
Definition of snakes
Verb
  • Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert slides for a short gain against the Rams in the first half Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Heading upward, these slides impart moments of ecstatic, unworldly levitation.
    — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of slides
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.

Browse Nearby Words

groveling
grovels
groves
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Cite this Entry

“Grovels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grovels. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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