1
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
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.
Recent Examples of worm
Clara ends up moving to the small town and worming her way into everyone’s hearts.
—
Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
Guiteau eventually worms his way into an audience, ostensibly seeking an ambassadorship for his dubious contributions to the campaign but, in reality, requesting a path to greatness.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
Popping in and out of the party's campaign headquarters with abandon (Secret Service didn't begin to protect the president until 1901), Guiteau tries to worm his way into Garfield's circle and somehow profit.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Any deal would need to worm its way through the competition regulator.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for worm
Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
Guiteau eventually worms his way into an audience, ostensibly seeking an ambassadorship for his dubious contributions to the campaign but, in reality, requesting a path to greatness.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
Popping in and out of the party's campaign headquarters with abandon (Secret Service didn't begin to protect the president until 1901), Guiteau tries to worm his way into Garfield's circle and somehow profit.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Any deal would need to worm its way through the competition regulator.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for worm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worm
Verb
-
Luis Palma stepped up to take it, and Wickens got down low to his right-hand side to keep it out, only for the save to be scratched off as Ross County players encroached into the box.—
Eduardo Tansley,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
-
Paglen’s ideas, collected between two covers, carve a clean, linear path through our messy neural era, engaging in the kind of big-picture sense-making that books remain well suited to do, even as AI encroaches on this terrain.—
Louis Bury,
ARTnews.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Expect launch photos, snaps of historic hardware destined for space, images of the night sky and, from time to time, photographic evidence of our entertainment editor Ian Stokes infiltrating Amazon's London office to sneak a peek at their May the 4th Star Wars offering … allegedly.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
2 May 2026
-
In The Second Lady, when America’s beloved First Lady is abducted and replaced by a Russian double, both women must fight to survive—one navigating captivity in Siberia, the other infiltrating the White House to sabotage NATO during the G7 Summit.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The barely-there gown featured a nude bodice with black lace and black gems snaking along the collar, down the center, along her sleeves and onto her hands.—
Sophie Dodd,
PEOPLE,
4 May 2026
-
The dirt-only diamond was loamy and soft and home plate was totally submerged in a muddy puddle, a tributary of which also snaked down the third-base line.—
Chang-rae Lee,
New Yorker,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Environmentalists are rejecting California’s implementation of its landmark single-use plastic law taking, claiming regulators inserted loopholes favoring the plastic industry.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
In his stead, Hynes has inserted Daemon Hunt into the lineup for the first two games of the Colorado series.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
After losing her friend Yo, Anna spends a decade obsessively building a detailed one-third-scale replica of her house — just large enough to crawl inside — where a puppet version of Yo still lives.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
-
Ahmed Moustafa, who operates a halal cart near Yankee Stadium, is still crawling out from the pandemic.—
Yuna Kim,
New York Daily News,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Other methods of sneaking contraband into a prison include throwing it over a facility’s fence, coordinating through the mail and, in some cases, involving corrupt corrections officers.—
Taylor Galgano,
CNN Money,
3 May 2026
-
Much like his Game 1 game-winning goal, Mattias Samuelsson used a screen from the towering Thompson to sneak a long-range shot past Jeremy Swayman on the short side.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Win it, and suddenly the series tightens, the doubt creeps in and the path gets a lot more complicated for Orlando.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
-
For another easy-to-care-for choice that relishes sunlight, look to creeping juniper and its beautifully hazy blue-green leaves.—
Melissa Epifano,
The Spruce,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Disney shares slipped around 1% on the news in Tuesday trading.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
While the seven-round draft feels exhaustive each year, the truth is good prospects, even Hall of Fame caliber ones, can slip through.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Worm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worm. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
