grovels

Definition of grovelsnext
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
Verb
  • Payton cringes at the mention of a sophomore slump, that defenses will figure out Nix.
    Troy Renck, Denver Post, 6 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • As the Bay Area slowly — some might say glacially — crawls into spring, there’s nothing better than sipping a hot cup of tea or coffee to warm yourself up.
    Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
  • As with aftermarket switchable sway bar systems, drivers can lock the sway bars in place for better handling and stability at speed and unlock them completely for maximum articulation during bumpy rock crawls.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Lubezki’s camera gets close to the action and never flinches, which underscores Iñarritu’s commitment to excessive mayhem at every turn.
    Eric Kohn, IndieWire, 25 Feb. 2026
  • Cash flinches from this cascade of consequences.
    Gideon Leek, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • This time round, though, an unfortunate silliness sometimes creeps in, where the film risks tipping over Shakespearean-size emotions into embarrassing bathos.
    Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026
  • The curved shadow of the Earth that creeps across the moon during lunar eclipses is key to humankind’s understanding of our planet.
    Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • If Venezuela and its region instead spiral into chaos and suffering, Trump will merely look like a bully, a president who cowers when facing the mighty — in Moscow or Beijing, say — but bombs those who can’t return fire, whether in Nigeria, Yemen or Venezuela.
    Andreas Kluth, Boston Herald, 7 Jan. 2026
  • The Guthrie family cowers in obedient fear of its brooding patriarch (Peter Mullan).
    Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • In southwest Russia, where the border with eastern Ukraine snakes down to the Sea of Azov, lies the city of Rostov-on-Don, which serves as the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District.
    Sophie Spiegelberger, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2026
  • From the mouth of Lake of the Woods, the Warroad River snakes through the middle of the city limits, a few blocks from the headquarters of Marvin Windows and Doors, the employer as synonymous with the town as the sport of hockey.
    Dave Campbell, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Business owners selling products like rotary phones or needlepoint kits are seeing their revenue rise while the average costumer age slides.
    Alex Harring, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2026
  • The sternum strap slides up and down along a moderate range, and the backpanel length features a standard Velcro adjustment system.
    Corey Buhay, Outside, 3 Mar. 2026
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

“Grovels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grovels. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.

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