1
as in encroached
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits
neighborhoods worming into lands reserved for wildlife
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in infiltrated
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 wormed
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
We as a community contain (often brain-wormed) multitudes, as evidenced by this year’s plethora gay Halloween costumes.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 31 Oct. 2025
After a scramble from Baltimore’s corner kick, Kerr’s header at the back post wormed through a thicket of defenders, and Cuthbert had the final touch.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
This story has wormed its way into all levels of British cultural output.
—Will Collins, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026
We as a community contain (often brain-wormed) multitudes, as evidenced by this year’s plethora gay Halloween costumes.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 31 Oct. 2025
After a scramble from Baltimore’s corner kick, Kerr’s header at the back post wormed through a thicket of defenders, and Cuthbert had the final touch.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
This story has wormed its way into all levels of British cultural output.
—Will Collins, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wormed
Verb
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In the last few decades, the bug has encroached from Utah’s Virgin River into prime flycatcher habitat in northern Arizona.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
13 Mar. 2026
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In a filing late Friday, the DOJ argued that each of the four judges erred in their judgements and unlawfully encroached on the president’s power.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In 2024 Israeli operatives infiltrated Hezbollah’s supply chain and used shell companies to sell members pagers and walkie-talkies rigged with explosives.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
26 Mar. 2026
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Chavez and his aides repeatedly claimed that their critics are Communist or grower sympathizers who infiltrated the UFW before turning on it.—
Marcos Breton,
Sacbee.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Controversies like those surrounding Gilgan’s column inspired several AI researchers to go back and see how much AI material has crept into American newspapers.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
26 Mar. 2026
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West Texas Intermediate, the benchmark for domestic oil prices, has remained at or below $100 per barrel for nearly two weeks, while Brent Crude, the benchmark for international oil prices, has crept back up toward $110.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Bake on the middle rack of the heated oven until the top is puffed and lightly golden and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.—
Georgeanne Brennan,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
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During the procedure, a catheter, or tiny flexible tube, is inserted into a blood vessel and snaked into the heart to view the coronary and/or pulmonary arteries up close.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Woods was alone in the car and crawled out of the passenger door after the crash.—
Ryan Morik , Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
28 Mar. 2026
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The mood inside the terminal was calm as the snaking line crawled forward.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But their 20th shot counted when Foligno – playing in his first game back after missing 14 of the previous 16 games – slipped a low shot past the goalie after linemate Yakov Trenin had fought off a challenge from a Florida defender to get Foligno the puck.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
27 Mar. 2026
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Google parent Alphabet fell nearly 9% and Microsoft sank almost 7% this week, while Nvidia and Amazon slipped about 3% each.—
Ari Levy,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Lines there snaked up three floors, starting in the basement's subway corridor before passing through the baggage claim area.—
Kris Van Cleave,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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On Monday morning, these screens remained blank as the lines snaked through both north and south checkpoints.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The prosecutor said Serafini snuck into his in-laws’ Homewood residence on the west shore of Lake Tahoe while nobody was home.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
17 Mar. 2026
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My brother Mike knew a maintenance engineer who snuck me in to Seals & Crofts’ studio.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wormed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wormed. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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