as in fumbled
to search for something blindly or uncertainly
she groped in her purse for her car keys groping for the right answer
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Recent Examples of groped
According to the police report, the mother was cornered and groped at her car with her children in the back seat before the man ran away.
—
Ashley Sharp, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
Since his arrest, at least four women have told police that the Emmy-award-winning actor and director groped their breasts and genitals and forced himself on them, dating from 1993 to 2000.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
Two more women said staff members groped them or touched them inappropriately.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2026
Cannon starred in a production of Sweet Bird of Youth at the Old Vic in 2013 and claims Spacey groped him at a party after the play’s press night.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 Mar. 2026
Spacey was artistic director at the Old Vic when Cannon claims the Oscar-winner groped him at a party.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2026
During one of the shootings, Sheriff Shittu, a 30-year-old aspiring fashion designer, was fatally shot in the head after a tussle with a drunk patron who had groped his girlfriend earlier in the night.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2026
McMillan, 26, of Long Island, then stole about $200 from the woman’s purse and groped her while Colon, 24, of Queens, kept watch.
—ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026
The woman was apparently unconscious as Gilpin tried to kiss her and groped her inside of her clothing, the complaint said.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 25 Feb. 2026
Ashley Sharp, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
Since his arrest, at least four women have told police that the Emmy-award-winning actor and director groped their breasts and genitals and forced himself on them, dating from 1993 to 2000.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
Two more women said staff members groped them or touched them inappropriately.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2026
Cannon starred in a production of Sweet Bird of Youth at the Old Vic in 2013 and claims Spacey groped him at a party after the play’s press night.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 Mar. 2026
Spacey was artistic director at the Old Vic when Cannon claims the Oscar-winner groped him at a party.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2026
During one of the shootings, Sheriff Shittu, a 30-year-old aspiring fashion designer, was fatally shot in the head after a tussle with a drunk patron who had groped his girlfriend earlier in the night.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2026
McMillan, 26, of Long Island, then stole about $200 from the woman’s purse and groped her while Colon, 24, of Queens, kept watch.
—ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026
The woman was apparently unconscious as Gilpin tried to kiss her and groped her inside of her clothing, the complaint said.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for groped
Verb
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The Storm had the Inter&Co Stadium crowd of 11,127 people on their feet early after Columbus fumbled the opening kickoff and safety Josh Minkins jumped on it to give the Storm their initial possession inside the 30-yard line.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Mar. 2026
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As the years went by, judges complained that the city’s in-house lawyers had fumbled key casework.—
Joe Mahr,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Melvin—always the empath—looked ready to head home and cry.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The rest of them looked lost without him.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On Day 1, the astronauts made it safely into Earth's orbit and the mission reached the end of its first major propulsion phase, NASA said.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
-
In 2025, the number of Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies reached 315, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.—
Kayla Steinberg,
NBC news,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Groped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groped. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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