1
as in encroaching
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits
neighborhoods worming into lands reserved for wildlife
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of worming
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
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
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For instance, Williams’s looping descriptions of the encroaching wilderness can be quite compelling, but there is something off about them.—
Hannah Gold,
New Yorker,
17 June 2026
-
Having trekked the territory with his trusty surveyor’s compass, and in the absence of anyone else rash enough to do it, Washington volunteers to deliver an ultimatum to the encroaching French forces.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
16 June 2026
Verb
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The former president was caught sneaking Obama what was later said to be a cough drop during the funeral.—
Nicole Brown Chau,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
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However, in February, Batula broke up with her husband, Kyle Cooke, and was rumored to be sneaking around with Wilson until they got caught by fans who spotted them out.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
But the sheer brutality and creeping terror of the simplistic opening scene makes the rest of the film — with its gratuitous set pieces and CGI gore — seem much more inelegant.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 June 2026
-
This is particularly true for people with mild hypertension or those whose blood pressure has just started creeping into the elevated range.—
Maggie O'Neill,
Verywell Health,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Towle, 26, is currently in between stages of a clinical trial involving tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
12 June 2026
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Lanzani plays Rubio, an army officer tasked with infiltrating the Santa Cruz Church where the relatives of the missing have begun organizing.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
For cybersecurity companies, identifying a digital agent crawling a website used to be enough evidence of malicious activity.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
17 June 2026
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The challenge, of course, is that cleaning baseboards often involves crawling around on hands and knees, a task few people are eager to do.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
13 June 2026
Verb
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Manager John Schneider is now forced to shuffle players like Andrés Gimenez and Ernie Clement at shortstop, often platooning Gimenez, and inserting lesser hitters at second base.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
Fed watchers expect Warsh could pass on inserting his view on the future path of rates from the grid, which is watched closely on Wall Street but has had an uneven track record as a forecasting tool.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
In certain soaring drone shots, the Gobi’s dry, greige sprawl looks like nothing so much as the surface of another planet, at least until it’s disrupted by snaking manmade infrastructure and drab light industry.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
18 June 2026
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The crowds of caring people who stood patiently in lines snaking from area blood-donation centers.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Alpha Camp made decent time, even with Leiya slipping on rocks in the river.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
-
Everyone from Jennifer Lawrence to Bad Bunny has been slipping into the sleek thong sandal—styling it casually with jeans and a hoodie, or dressed up with a chic floral dress.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Worming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worming. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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