Thesaurus results for WORMING

worming

verb

present participle of worm

as in encroaching

to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits neighborhoods worming into lands reserved for wildlife

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in sneaking

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

as in creeping

to move slowly with the body close to the ground the cat silently wormed along the ground as it snuck up on the bird

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 worming After a series of personal setbacks, Ingrid moves to Los Angeles to be closer to Taylor, masterminding their meeting and worming her way into her inner circle. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026 The best success comes using it in jungle-thick cover, worming a minnow down between uncooperative branches. — John Phillips, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2026 In terms of the complex set design — which looks like a facsimile of the same passage over and over but with subtle differences worming their way in — Kawamura and his team built two identical corridors for cinematographer Keisuke Imamura to follow the actors through, third- and first-person-style. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 Apr. 2026 Clara ends up moving to the small town and worming her way into everyone’s hearts. — Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025 Traitors is worming its way in there. — Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for worming

Verb

Uber Technologies will lay off about 3,300 employees, or 10% of staff, in its largest cuts since the COVID-19 pandemic, to better navigate the rise of robotaxis encroaching on its ride-hailing business.

— Akash Sriram, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
But what do athletes think of robots not only encroaching on their turf, but surpassing their achievements?

— Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of encroaching

Verb

The new quarterback Mensah with a short completion that Toney turns into a 48-yard play, bouncing up from the tackle and sneaking in a quick little Heisman pose for good measure.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
Rather than trade Ohtani for Caminero, who has blossomed into a two-time All-Star at 23, the team added at the deadline in hopes of sneaking into the wild-card race.

— Andy McCullough, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of sneaking

Verb

Each of its elements began, long ago, in the loamy earth, hatching and creeping or slipping, slick and squealing, from the womb of the mind.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
But when the death watch beetle starts creeping around Kylie’s boyfriend (Xolo Maridueña), an emotionally available DJ — the script’s words, not mine — the truth about her bloodline comes spilling out.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of creeping

Verb

Valdes was a Cuban intelligence asset tasked with infiltrating Cuban exile organizations since at least the 1990s, according to ICE.

— Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
Earlier this year, Anthropic’s Mythos AI model made headlines when it was caught infiltrating third party systems, a cybersecurity nightmare years in the making.

— Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of infiltrating

Verb

The coaching staff demonstrated this by immediately inserting Lemon into the first-team offense upon his return and playing him throughout the first half of the preseason finale against the Cincinnati Bengals.

— Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Sadly, the production was a downer, draining Kushner’s masterpiece of color and humor and inserting, in their place, gloomy projections of cityscapes and, unaccountably, David Bowie songs.

— Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of inserting

Verb

The estate sprawls across 77 acres of pastoral tranquility, with trails snaking through the woods, oak trees towering over lawns, and birdsong filling the air.

— Brian Cicioni, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2026
The Premier League trophy was kept out of the way, not shown off, apart from the blazing cover picture in the souvenir programme which ensured queues snaking through the crowd to purchase this special memento.

— Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of snaking

Verb

Each of its elements began, long ago, in the loamy earth, hatching and creeping or slipping, slick and squealing, from the womb of the mind.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
Alongside the Rams’ Terrance Ferguson, the Saint was criminally undervalued throughout the fantasy draft season, often slipping well into the double-digit rounds in 12-team exercises.

— Brad Evans, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of slipping

Browse Nearby Words

wormholes

worming

worms

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“Worming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worming. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of worming

verb

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