1
as in encroached
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits
neighborhoods worming into lands reserved for wildlife
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Afternoon and early-evening sessions, once thought safe, were infiltrated by those stashing weapons.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
19 Mar. 2026
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But with the March 17 primary just days away, fresh faces are vying to replace experienced lawmakers and outside campaign cash has infiltrated a string of races for the Illinois House and Senate.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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While Chavez was a controversial figure even in his own era, a dark shadow crept over his legacy as reactions began pouring in Wednesday, after one of his strongest allies, Dolores Huerta, 96, posted a statement on her foundation’s website accusing him of rape.—
Ryan Carter,
Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Henri Jokiharju, inserted back into the lineup after seven straight healthy scratches, delivered a right-point shot that produced a big rebound off Markstrom.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
17 Mar. 2026
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Drafts of the settlement made no mention of the Hope Florida Foundation until six days later, when Sheeran inserted language into the agreement to transfer part of the settlement to the foundation, emails show.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Back then, the French capital’s central road networks crawled with automobiles.—
Lisa Courbebaisse,
CNN Money,
21 Mar. 2026
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One roach crawled near his dead buddy and three raised a reach-in cooler with food across from the cookline.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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No outside agencies or businesses will be able to directly hire off-duty police officers through the scheduling platform RollKall after police say a man impersonating law enforcement and killed by SWAT officers earlier this month slipped through the cracks.—
Devyani Chhetri,
Dallas Morning News,
20 Mar. 2026
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In a September Gallup poll, support had slipped to 47%, with another 47% calling such research morally wrong.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Travelers across the country reported lengthy TSA queues that snaked through airports, with some waiting one to two hours at security checkpoints.—
Tom Costello,
NBC news,
16 Mar. 2026
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Jack O’Connell, Lola Kirke and Peter Dreimanis — the actors who terrorized the juke joint as bloodthirsty vampires in the movie — also snaked their way onto the stage.—
Itzel Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
16 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 24 Mar. 2026.
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