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
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Recent Examples of worm
MomTok got Taylor on the plane and off to star in The Bachelorette, but not before Dakota worms his way in one last time.
—
Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum initially believed that the bug, which eluded detection and caused countless medical issues, wormed its way into her system while filming Bravo's The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip in Morocco in early 2023.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026
Her strange presence in Georgia — where Gabbard reportedly arranged for FBI agents to make a post-raid call to the president — looks like nothing more than a way to worm her way back into his good graces.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Clara ends up moving to the small town and worming her way into everyone’s hearts.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for worm
Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum initially believed that the bug, which eluded detection and caused countless medical issues, wormed its way into her system while filming Bravo's The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip in Morocco in early 2023.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026
Her strange presence in Georgia — where Gabbard reportedly arranged for FBI agents to make a post-raid call to the president — looks like nothing more than a way to worm her way back into his good graces.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Clara ends up moving to the small town and worming her way into everyone’s hearts.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for worm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worm
Verb
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Severe weather to our west may try to encroach on southeast Michigan late Wednesday.—
Ahmad Bajjey,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
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Kenya has experienced incidents of land grabbing in the past, and environmentalists have often spoken out when parks and other green spaces are encroached upon.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 June 2026
Verb
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The moment the cannula infiltrated, time split in two.—
Nisha Narayanan,
STAT,
5 June 2026
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Called Debug, the project targets Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are native to Africa but have infiltrated nearly half of California’s counties since first being detected in the state in 2013.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Photos and a video Aiello provided show bladed wire snaking around the decomposing animal’s neck and curved horns, as well as the front legs, in a desert landscape dotted with boulders.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
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The concept is sure to be alluring to many travelers, as snaking lines from March’s government shutdown still loom large in fliers’ collective memories and summer vacation crowds begin to throng terminals.—
Jessica Puckett,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Before the true ad break begins, networks like to insert a little commercial bumper.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
4 June 2026
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And men are indeed lengthening their limbs, flying to international clinics, having metal rods inserted into their bones, and then, after a brutal recovery process, relearning how to walk.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
Verb
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While some political observers are brushing off speculation that a deluge of ballots could allow Steyer to crawl into the top two, conservative activists are keeping a close watch.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
5 June 2026
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The next day, with water levels having dropped inside the cave, the remaining four men caught rescuers by surprise, crawling out on their own just as divers were getting ready to go in and get them.—
Janis Mackey Frayer,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The festivities were held at the terrace bar nine floors above Times Square at the Edition Hotel, and anyone sneaking in an illicit cigarette out on the balcony gets treated to a giant Wicked billboard flashing in LEDs.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
7 June 2026
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During Thanksgiving week 2024, prosecutors say Svetlana Dali snuck onto a Delta flight from New York to France.—
Sneha Dhandapani,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
Verb
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Monsters of various shapes and sizes creep across the pages of Spark’s novels, plays and short stories.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
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The vote comes as communities around the country debate how to handle increasingly large data centers creeping into populated areas.—
Mary Ramsey
Updated June 8,
Charlotte Observer,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Trip plans unravel fast when flights slip, baggage goes missing, or a surprise cold snap hits the destination.—
Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone,
Miami Herald,
9 June 2026
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Because play in football is rarely interrupted, unlike American football, US TV broadcasters had to figure out creative ways to slip ads into games.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Worm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worm. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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