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
  • Two incumbents — west Charlotte’s Thelma Byers-Bailey and Summer Nunn, whose district snakes along the county’s southern border — chose not to run for reelection to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education.
    Josh Bergeron, Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2025
  • In its search for ample sunlight, the species tightly snakes up trees.
    Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 22 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
  • After a flashback-heavy opening that inserts Hemsworth into major moments from the show's past, Season 4 finds our fair witchy family split by the hands of fate, once again.
    Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 30 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
  • For Dimon, bureaucracy is a reflex that creeps into any large institution and shields leaders from reality.
    Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Meyers will continue being a name to watch as the deadline creeps closer.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The video opens with her washing dishes when a golden ring slips down the drain.
    Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Advertisement The next morning, Peter’s mask slips.
    JP Mangalindan, Time, 6 Nov. 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 8 Nov. 2025.

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