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
3
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wormed
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
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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The ads have now encroached into social media without proper disclosures with many online pharmacies not following the same rules that many pharmaceutical companies follow, a senior White House official said.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
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From the deadly 2025 Los Angeles fires to the devastating 2019-2020 Australian bushfires and the 2018 wildfire in Athens, Greece, flames have increasingly encroached upon human settlements, claiming lives and livelihoods.—
Seyd Teymoor Seydi,
The Conversation,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, on Ukraine’s eastern front, Russian forces have infiltrated the city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, according to Ukrainian officials.—
Catherine Nicholls,
CNN Money,
29 Oct. 2025
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And the moment has called, forcing Guy — a man with no passport, and virtually no training in the realm of supernatural defense — to fly from New York to London to investigate a frightening and powerful vampire named Jasper (William Fichtner) who has infiltrated the London motherhouse.—
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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For many parts of the country, the average date of the first fall frost has passed, and the chill of autumn nights has already crept in, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.—
Stuart Dyos,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
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Pain crept into the set of his mouth.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Modern Wall Street has killed just about everything cool that walks or crawled at one time or another.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The van’s driver then crawled out of his vehicle’s window, crossed over a median and was instantly struck by a car speeding in the opposite direction, which was broadcast by the news helicopter following the chase.—
Brian Niemietz,
Mercury News,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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On the other hand, 14 different teams — including one who barely snuck into the preseason top-25 — received at least one Final Four nod.—
The Athletic College Basketball Staff,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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Then the third-year tailback snuck to the right and made the wide open grab in the flat.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Debates have raged in the busy industry program, standby ticket queues have snaked outside venues for the hottest premieres and the stars — in their droves — have been out in force and on major charm offensives, with distributors using the fest to launch both awards and release campaigns.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
17 Oct. 2025
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Tree roots and ivy creepers have also snaked through the stonework.—
Barry Neild,
CNN Money,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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At this point, turn down the heat to 375°F for the final 25 to 30 minutes, or until a knife or skewer inserted 2 inches from the edge of each pie comes out clean.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Nov. 2025
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Reduce oven temperature to 350°F, and bake until a thermometer inserted into thickest portion of thigh registers 165°F, 2 hours, 45 minutes to 3 hours, 45 minutes, basting with pan juices every 45 minutes.—
Melinda Salchert,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Saudi Arabia's oil revenue slid 24% in the first half of 2025 from a year earlier.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
28 Oct. 2025
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Takaichi, whose party commands a minority government and has slid in successive elections, has little room for error during her tenure.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wormed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wormed. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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