worm

1
as in to encroach
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits neighborhoods worming into lands reserved for wildlife

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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

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3
as in to snake
to move slowly with the body close to the ground the cat silently wormed along the ground as it snuck up on the bird

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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 At the same time, Waltz tried to flip the script and blame Goldberg -- suggesting the editor could have somehow wormed his way in to the group chat. Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 26 Mar. 2025 The popular genre is inexpensive to produce and compelling to view, and a new documentary or documentary series always seems to worm its way into the zeitgeist. Brian Welk, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2024 The plot might seem repetitive, going back and forth between Violet trying to follow the anonymous rules and worming her way out of them to seek help (only to be outsmarted), but the movie’s exciting, stage-like formal flourishes and its disorienting lensing keep things moving smoothly. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 10 Mar. 2025 Chain Reactions Director: Alexandre O. Philippe Featuring: Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King, Karyn Kusama United States, 2024 For fifty years, Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has terrified audiences by worming its way into their subconscious. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for worm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worm
Verb
  • Apple once owned the premium device space, but competitors are now encroaching on its turf.
    Jackie Snow, Quartz, 7 June 2025
  • At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the industry was awash with buyers, sellers and festival heads chattering about how to come to grips with this new phase of technology that is increasingly encroaching on the traditional space.
    Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 4 June 2025
Verb
  • The series stars Emily VanCamp as a mysterious outsider who infiltrates Hampton’s high society to take down the people responsible for destroying her life.
    Emily Blackwood, People.com, 3 June 2025
  • The hope for the final season may lies in the ongoing outside mission to infiltrate the headquarters.
    Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 31 May 2025
Verb
  • The time-lapse video shows a plasmoid snaking across the sun at almost 62 miles (100 kilometers) per second.
    Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 29 May 2025
  • It’s carved from a snaking mulberry branch and adorned with microchips, with a C.P.U. fan and a small desk clock embedded in the smoothly polished wood near its head.
    Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 29 May 2025
Verb
  • However, the lawmakers inserted a critical provision into the legislation proposing the amendment: Enough states needed to ratify it within seven years, or the window to add the ERA would close.
    Sarah Bedford, The Washington Examiner, 8 June 2025
  • Instead of immediately seeking out extra-cushioned footwear or super-specialized shoe inserts, start with some foot exercises, says Irene Davis, a professor of physical therapy and rehab sciences at the University of South Florida.
    Andee Tagle, NPR, 7 June 2025
Verb
  • The men allegedly crawled out of the hole to a loading dock, scaled an exterior concrete wall of the jail complex and darted across a freeway to freedom.
    Kati Weis, CBS News, 29 May 2025
  • The Zenbook crawled to the finish line in every test.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 29 May 2025
Verb
  • Despite her largely younger fan base – the demographic that loves streaming sites – Cyrus launches her title on the Official Albums Streaming chart at No. 39, just barely sneaking into the top 40 region.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • On assignment for People magazine in 2005, Weiss attempts to sneak onto Brad Pitt’s beachfront compound in Santa Barbara, hoping to grab some tasty morsels about the megastar’s new relationship with Jolie.
    Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
Verb
  • For years, the Birch Glacier has been creeping down the mountainside, pressured by shifting debris near the summit.
    Dave Graham, Christian Science Monitor, 29 May 2025
  • Despite this, his ownership didn’t creep over the 10 per cent mark until the period around Newcastle’s Double Gameweek 32, with his brace against Leicester City in Gameweek 31 a particular highlight for my season, providing my biggest rank jump of the run-in.
    Holly Shand, New York Times, 28 May 2025
Verb
  • The defense did slip slightly last year — from first to 13th in adjusted efficiency — and that’s in part because Iowa State wasn’t as physical and deep up front.
    CJ Moore, New York Times, 2 June 2025
  • Based on my firm's analysis, in April 2025, traditional indices moved in different directions: The Dow Jones declined by 3.28% and the S&P 500 slipped 1.10%, while the Nasdaq gained 0.90%.
    Arthur Mouratov, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Worm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worm. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.

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