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
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
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
-
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
-
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
-
The film will include exclusive witness testimony, expert forensic analysis, and detailed graphic reconstructions that track the moment the thieves infiltrated the museum’s perimeter and vanished with the priceless treasure.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
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
-
Pain crept into the set of his mouth.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The woman had catheters inserted in her about 30 times over the years, but never had an experience like the one with Miller, the prosecutor said.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The clerks inserted memory sticks from the tabulators with results from their local election into the laptop and a program transmitted them to the county through a dedicated, secured network.—
Christina Hall,
Freep.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
One live roach crawled on the floor near the kitchen door.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Roaring out of the gates in Set 2, the Raiders mounted a commanding 10-2 lead, but the Storm went blow for blow with the Raiders and crawled back into the set.—
Andrew Cornelius,
Twin Cities,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The conference comes at a time when the impacts of climate change have become increasingly clear — even as the issue has slipped down the immediate geopolitical agenda.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
10 Nov. 2025
-
With three rounds remaining this season, Ferrari has slipped to fourth in the standings, 36 points behind Mercedes and 4 points behind Red Bull.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Long lines snaked around the terminal Sunday.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
After a 2-2 tie at the end of regulation, Marquette took a 3-2 lead in the sixth minute of the second overtime when Kahn somehow snuck a shot from about 40 yards under the crossbar.—
Jim Hoehn,
Twin Cities,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Brissett and the Cardinals responded immediately, marching 74 yards in 11 plays before Brissett snuck one across at the goal line.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wormed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wormed. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share