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
  • Downy brome, an invasive weed, infiltrates grassland and increases wildfire risk in the Great Basin region.
    Pam Marrone, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
  • The thriller stars the Academy Award winner as an expert investigator who infiltrates online hate organizations in the hopes of thwarting acts of domestic terrorism.
    Sandra Gonzalez, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The district snakes through southeast Texas from the border near Hidalgo − through Pulido's native Edinburg − and northward up around Corpus Christi, where the Tejano singer Selena has her roots.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The Wild Flint The Flint snakes down Georgia, a safe distance from I-85 and I-75, before joining the Chattahoochee River in Lake Seminole and cutting across the Florida Panhandle as the Apalachicola River.
    David Hanson, Southern Living, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • On the negative side, there’s Judomaster, who sneaks into the portal behind Chris (and leaves a trail of Cheeto dust in his wake).
    Scott Meslow, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
  • The 12-day calendar sneaks in $138 worth of beauty gems from cult-favorite brands like Youth To The People, Caudalie, Stila, RMS, and L’Occitane.
    Katie Ann Lehman, StyleCaster, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Arisu crawls onto a mound of rubble for momentary relief, and is met with an angry Banda.
    Kayti Burt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Gameplay begins as the player crawls from the wreckage.
    G Kirilloff, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine technique during which a practitioner inserts fine needles into a patient’s skin.
    Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • For this test, a doctor inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into your rectum to feel for swelling, bleeding, and any prostate abnormalities.
    Mark Gurarie, Health, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The Japanese influence creeps in again with a matcha white chocolate chip cookie.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Employees notice the waves of shiny experiments that come and go (with no momentum), and cynicism creeps in.
    Aditya Vikram Kashyap, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • That Jiryis’s wife was killed by Israel slips through as a single sentence.
    Book Marks October 2, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Norris keeps banking points as Piastri slips.
    Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 2 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 5 Oct. 2025.

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