1
as in encroaches
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits
neighborhoods worming into lands reserved for wildlife
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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 worms
Guiteau eventually worms his way into an audience, ostensibly seeking an ambassadorship for his dubious contributions to the campaign but, in reality, requesting a path to greatness.
—
Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worms
Verb
-
As the Chinese men shoot the breeze and play cards, a mob of armed white miners gathers over the hill and encroaches on the unsuspecting outsiders.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Cloud Dancer, a white that is both warm and cool, reflects an overwhelmed feeling among consumers as the world feels louder and technology, in particular AI, encroaches further into our lives.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
4 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Tehran stars Niv Sultan as agent Tamar Robinyan, a hacker who infiltrates Tehran under a false identity.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
16 Jan. 2026
-
The lakes overlay sand that rapidly infiltrates water, carrying it into the ground or into the district’s 30 storage basins.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Make the Road Action and New York Communities for Change backed Reynoso over rival Assemblywoman Claire Valdez in the battle for the deep-blue district that snakes through parts of northern Brooklyn and western Queens.—
Chris Sommerfeldt,
New York Daily News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The skating ribbon at Maggie Daley Park in Chicago is an artificial trail that snakes a quarter-mile around towering climbing walls, with glittering skyscrapers for a backdrop.—
Ginger Crichton,
Midwest Living,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
That pressure sneaks into how candidates speak, frame their stories and answer even routine questions.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Romance sneaks into your schedule, making things feel disruptive and unexpected, Virgo.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
John Tufts The weather outside is about to get frightful as a potentially dangerous winter storm crawls its way across the country.—
John Tufts,
IndyStar,
23 Jan. 2026
-
In the video, the coyote crawls out of the water and struggles to get his footing once on the rocks.—
Amanda Hari,
CBS News,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Detailed this week in the journal ACS Sensors, the team describes a small device made from an array of microneedles that inserts into a dead fish (or fillets) and continuously measures hypoxanthine (HX), a key compound closely associated with spoilage.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Amid the melodrama, Trier inserts flashes of comedy.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Mintz agrees that intentional time matters, especially when guilt creeps in.—
Jennifer Jay Palumbo,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Each 40-ish minute episode following the premiere delivers diminishing returns, Elba can only beg people to listen to him so many times before growing monotonous, and when the train creeps to a polite stop at its final destination, there’s little suspense to the resolution and even less sense.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
That tune slips several spaces, pushed downward by new releases from Harry Styles, Rob Zombie, and Def Leppard, among others.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Knausgaard slips easily into this way of looking at life.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Worms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worms. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
