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2
as in to infiltrate
to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way
over a period of several years, the undercover agent was able to worm his way into the drug kingpin's confidence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of worm
Last month, hackers wormed their way into Tea and accessed sensitive user data; 70,000 user images and more than 1 million private messages reportedly were leaked, including communications about abortions, users’ driver’s-license photos, and phone numbers that had been shared in private messages.
—
Albert Fox Cahn, The Atlantic, 11 Aug. 2025
Born in Georgia, McAllister was a lawyer who married a minor heiress, toured Europe, then wormed his way into the upper echelons of New York’s elite, advising them on how to emulate the Old World’s aristocracy and becoming a special friend of Mrs. Astor.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2025
There's also the matter of the cartel's interest in leveraging Tommy to worm their way into the oil business.
—EW.com, 27 July 2025
The trailer revealed that Don is the biological father of Blue, and Blue’s single mother, Dixie, appears to be hatching a secret plan to get Blue to worm his way into the vast Hart family fortune.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for worm
Albert Fox Cahn, The Atlantic, 11 Aug. 2025
Born in Georgia, McAllister was a lawyer who married a minor heiress, toured Europe, then wormed his way into the upper echelons of New York’s elite, advising them on how to emulate the Old World’s aristocracy and becoming a special friend of Mrs. Astor.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2025
There's also the matter of the cartel's interest in leveraging Tommy to worm their way into the oil business.
—EW.com, 27 July 2025
The trailer revealed that Don is the biological father of Blue, and Blue’s single mother, Dixie, appears to be hatching a secret plan to get Blue to worm his way into the vast Hart family fortune.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for worm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worm
Verb
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Now to see again, the third time, essentially, their desire to expand the freeway and encroach towards McCrorey Heights, is problematic.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Oct. 2025
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The partnership was formed to address the invasive trees and shrubs encroaching on the natural grasslands in TNC's Folsom Point Preserve in Iowa, which is located just over 12 miles from Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There are many ways to infiltrate human culture.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
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Here, the story turns on Andrius a young man who infiltrates a radical neo-Nazi group to find the killer of his LGBT+ activist boyfriend.—
Annika Pham,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In its search for ample sunlight, the species tightly snakes up trees.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
22 Oct. 2025
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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
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The Blue Jays inserted Barger specifically to get lefty Anthony Banda into the game and force a pitching change.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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In addition, many Department of Education employees who were furloughed were surprised to see a message blaming Democrats for the government shutdown inserted into their out-of-office replies.—
The NPR Network,
NPR,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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When a storm crawls like this, rainfall piles up over the same towns for days.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
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Modern Wall Street has killed just about everything cool that walks or crawled at one time or another.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The night before an away game in Knoxville, Russ and Danny must sneak out of the team hotel and go on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
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Whatever your topping of choice, anyone can relate to this pup sneaking a slice.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That combination of high winds and creeping progress makes Melissa both unusual and unusually dangerous.—
Sara Sneath,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
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The chill is creeping in and the flowers that once filled your summer containers may be spent, but don't put those pots away just yet.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Women’s Power Stride Tab Socks 3-pack Designed with training in mind, this three-pack of no-show socks boasts an interior grip that keeps them from slipping during use.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Oct. 2025
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Messi picked up the ball from his compatriot Rodrigo De Paul in midfield and burst toward the backpedaling Nashville back line before slipping the ball outside to Luis Suárez.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Worm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worm. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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