wormed

past tense of worm
1
as in encroached
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits neighborhoods worming into lands reserved for wildlife

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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

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3
as in crept
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 wormed Over the next several decades, and countless strangulations, Homer and Bart wormed their way into our hearts. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026 The idea wormed its way through the State Fair machinery, and with a month and a half to go until gates opened, EatFuti heard they’d be allowed to test a pilot program. — Courtney Crowder, Des Moines Register, 14 Aug. 2026 Gemini has wormed its way into virtually every Google product and service, powering email organization in Gmail, document summary in Drive, and much more. — ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2026 Like parasites, those jukebox musicals wormed their way into Broadway and slowly killed the medium. — Jesse Eisenberg, New Yorker, 20 July 2026 OpenAI’s ChatGPT has wormed its way into more and more parts of consumers’ lives, from work to their children’s education, and even mental health and romantic relationships. — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 16 May 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
  • Wildfires encroached on major European cities, a once unthinkable threat.
    — Justin Worland, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
  • But gambling, for me, encroached on parts of my life that had not, until recently, felt like transactions.
    — Dan Horn, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said an OpenAI agent infiltrated the public-facing Medicare Statistics Reporting Service portal on June 18.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Israel wants the agency known as UNRWA out of Gaza and has repeatedly accused it of being infiltrated by Hamas militants, allegations the International Court of Justice says have not been substantiated.
    — Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Orange is 5-0 for the first time since 2017 and has also crept into the final spot of The Times’ top 25 rankings for the Southland.
    — Caleb Otte, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Twisty the clown crept around, Rubber Man made a second appearance, and black dahlias festooned every table.
    — Lauren Sanchez, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Running through March 27, the show explores a range of cultural, social, and economic messaging inserted in the genre through 52 artworks ranging from the 1970s to present day.
    — Damaly Gonzalez, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • That's a quasi-surgical procedure in which a plastic tube is inserted in the chest, groin, or neck.
    — Catherine Sweeney, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • In a historic first, two olive ridley sea turtles crawled out of the sea within the second week of September and laid their eggs in pits of sand in Seal Beach and Huntington Beach.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The technology isn’t perfect, Walsh said; if Gus had crawled beneath a bush to sleep, the camera wouldn’t necessarily find him.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • As the Carolina Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho slipped past the Florida Panthers defense for a breakaway, the Florida Panthers’ new goaltender set up in his crease.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The Latino officers who spoke to The Times said the department has for too long prioritized the promotion of Black members of the force to leadership roles while the representation of Latinos in the highest ranks has slipped.
    — Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Demands for the exclusive event pins exceeded common sense and ventured into the absurd with haphazard lines that snaked through the convention center.
    — Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2026
  • But the real action was in line for the Breen meet and greet, which snaked across the lobby of the Regal’s mezzanine level after the second screening.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Ersery, a Ruskin product, snuck out of the KC metro to become an all-Big Ten left tackle for Minnesota.
    — PJ Green September 24, Kansas City Star, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Florida snuck by the namesake SEC rival 44-39 in their first meeting since 2019.
    — Noah White, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Wormed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wormed. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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