grovels

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
  • At sunset, the city starts glowing around you while traffic crawls silently below.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 28 May 2026
  • Critics on the Croisette are starting to resemble that classic comic-strip panel in which an explorer crawls desperately across the sand toward an oasis that’s only a mirage.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2026
Verb
  • Advertisement Throughout the narrative, Johnson never flinches in his portrayal of the wreck, unleashing footage of investigators approaching the car and the victims’ families.
    Jake King-Schreifels, Time, 15 May 2026
  • DiVincenzo never flinches at adversity.
    Marcus Thompson II, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • This is where over-reliance creeps in.
    Gregory Lipich, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
  • Hesitation creeps in, options narrow and teams begin playing within themselves.
    Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 18 May 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • As his party watches silently and cowers, his intentions grow only more naked.
    Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Verb
  • The River Caqueta snakes nearly 1,800 miles into the heart of the Amazon rainforest.
    Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 27 May 2026
  • The plaster, cave-like living room (complete with a cozy fireplace) served as a backdrop for trivia night; the ice-cold creek, which snakes along the five-acre property, was our personal swimming spot to chase off the heat of the day.
    Aemilia Madden, Vogue, 27 May 2026
Verb
  • During one of their early meetings, Castillo got on the whiteboard and described a basic pass protection in which every lineman slides over and blocks a gap.
    Mike DeFabo, New York Times, 1 June 2026
  • Those who want more robust charging while parked at camp can add the optional Girard solar awning, which slides out an additional 960 watts of panels when deployed, quite similar to the Xponent awning.
    C.C. Weiss May 30, New Atlas, 30 May 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 10 Jun. 2026.

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