worms

present tense third-person singular of worm
1
as in encroaches
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits neighborhoods worming into lands reserved for wildlife

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2
as in infiltrates
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 snakes
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 worms
Verb
  • Apparently, our west block wall encroaches six feet into our neighbor’s back yard, which includes our swimming pool motor and related equipment.
    Christopher A. Combs, AZCentral.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • While a new generation of young singer-songwriters encroaches on country music’s old guard by the day, the Texas barnstormer has found his footing with a fan base hell-bent on capturing every moment Myers affords them.
    Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Here, the story turns on Andrius a young man who infiltrates a radical neo-Nazi group to find the killer of his LGBT+ activist boyfriend.
    Annika Pham, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
  • The Savant stars Chastain as an undercover investigator who infiltrates online hate groups and takes them down from the inside.
    Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In its search for ample sunlight, the species tightly snakes up trees.
    Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The campers and counselors died after torrential rain forced water levels on the river, which snakes through multiple summer camps in the region, to rise from 3 feet to 30 feet in a matter of hours.
    Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Clara, grieving in her own way, sneaks out, gets drunk and high and sees her boyfriend without her mom’s permission.
    Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Determined, Khaled sneaks into Israel and embarks on a journey to the sea.
    Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • What to do if the -- if the original guy crawls out of his grave and wants his job back.
    ABC News, ABC News, 26 Oct. 2025
  • When a storm crawls, rainfall piles up over the same towns for days.
    Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Bigelow inserts a quasi-whodunit aspect into an already white-knuckle affair.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
  • However, the real ineptitude occurs a little earlier when River interprets a fight that Gimball has with Jaffrey’s chief of staff, Tyson Bowman (Abraham Popoola), as a physical attack and inserts himself into the scene, setting off this tragicomic series of events.
    Scott Tobias, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Meyers will continue being a name to watch as the deadline creeps closer.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
  • The Japanese influence creeps in again with a matcha white chocolate chip cookie.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • When the stress exceeds the fault’s resistance, the locked segment abruptly slips, releasing energy in the form of seismic waves, heat, and rock fracturing.
    Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Oregon slips a spot after a methodical win against Wisconsin, while Ole Miss flips places with Miami after beating Oklahoma on the road.
    Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 26 Oct. 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

“Worms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worms. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.

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