worming

present participle of worm
1
as in encroaching
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits neighborhoods worming into lands reserved for wildlife

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Relevance
2
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

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3
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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for worming
Verb
  • And despite the encroaching waves, which nibbled more of our NewFarms every month.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
  • With 26 million active or funded customer accounts, Robinhood is fast encroaching on incumbents like Charles Schwab (37 million) and is six times larger than Merrill Lynch.
    Martina Castellanos, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • And some kids are even sneaking in game sessions during class.
    Annabelle Canela, Parents, 5 Sep. 2025
  • As with music, doing that work and sneaking in so much sound is all about the beats and the pitch.
    Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Another client, a senior executive negotiating a promotion, felt the old narrative of 'don’t ask for too much' creeping in mid-discussion.
    Naz Beheshti, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Fire was backing and creeping throughout the night.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The Taliban was and still is adept at infiltrating aid organizations and diverting aid to fill their coffers.
    Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2025
  • OneTaste opened its doors in San Francisco in the early two-thousands, as wellness culture was infiltrating the mainstream.
    Thessaly La Force, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Her grandkids are crawling into trouble.
    Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 8 Sep. 2025
  • The pair is seen crawling through a wildflower field, dancing, and jumping, but also hollering at each other, brandishing knives, and at some point, Lawrence licks a window with zeal.
    Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Fatemian takes a single vegetable at a time, starting with the carrots, and works his way around the edges, inserting the veggies into the arugula so they’re partially supported by the greens.
    Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The full-on answers are below for each group, finally inserting the four words in each category.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In the early 1990s, after being dropped from RCA Records at age 39, Crow bought 10 acres of rolling pastures above the snaking West Harpeth River in Franklin, Tennessee, for $175,000, according to the Wall Street Journal.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Brea and La Habra move into a snaking district in Los Angeles County centered on Downey.
    Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Most of them are slipping after the band left the country and finished its domestic tour dates, but the fact that so many full-lengths are still on the books shows in any capacity how the reunion has reignited interest in the rockers’ back catalog.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Saving Thomas Jefferson’s favorite seed Winn also feels the traditions slipping.
    Lila Hempel-Edgers, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Worming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worming. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.

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