as in fumbled
to search for something blindly or uncertainly
she groped in her purse for her car keys groping for the right answer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of groped
At a later date, the victim, whom police interviewed, gave Wright a hug in his classroom, and Wright kissed and groped the minor, investigators say.
—
Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 13 May 2026
Leverage Federal juries found Uber liable in two cases where one driver in North Carolina groped a woman and another in Arizona raped a woman.
—Sacbee.com, 8 May 2026
My body, however, had become an object of desire—I was catcalled, harassed, or groped on the way home from the movies or school.
—Leila Mottley, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2026
Police are looking for a man who has groped at least two women recently at the Silver Lake Reservoir.
—Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Since Busfield's 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.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 6 Apr. 2026
Louise got out of bed, groped her way across the dark room, found her phone tethered to the charger, then scrolled back through her photos to find the grainy twenty-seven-second video of the ants.
—Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
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
Andrew had reported that Owen groped him, encouraged him to undress and kissed him during sessions.
—Jessica Schreifels, ProPublica, 27 Mar. 2026
Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 13 May 2026
Leverage Federal juries found Uber liable in two cases where one driver in North Carolina groped a woman and another in Arizona raped a woman.
—Sacbee.com, 8 May 2026
My body, however, had become an object of desire—I was catcalled, harassed, or groped on the way home from the movies or school.
—Leila Mottley, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2026
Police are looking for a man who has groped at least two women recently at the Silver Lake Reservoir.
—Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Since Busfield's 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.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 6 Apr. 2026
Louise got out of bed, groped her way across the dark room, found her phone tethered to the charger, then scrolled back through her photos to find the grainy twenty-seven-second video of the ants.
—Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
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
Andrew had reported that Owen groped him, encouraged him to undress and kissed him during sessions.
—Jessica Schreifels, ProPublica, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for groped
Verb
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The attempt to create a viable and vibrant residential hub arrives after years of neglect and fumbled strategies by the prior owner, an affiliate of Z&L Properties.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
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The city fumbled the rollout of the parks bond and now the residents are paying — in both money and exasperation, Inserra noted.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The walls of Franca’s store were lined with unlabeled bins and drawers full of bits and bobs that looked like the world’s most disorganized hardware store.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
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For this anniversary edition, the design team at Smythson looked at the Beatrix Potter archive for illustrations, sketches and prints, translating them into key pieces include Panama notebooks in blue, green and chalk, gold-stamped with character motifs.—
Tianwei Zhang,
Footwear News,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Vegas’ unprecedented success The Golden Knights have reached the NHL’s final four for the fifth time in nine seasons, the most of any team since 2017.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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The Warriors last reached the state final four in 2024.—
Alex Kushel,
Sun Sentinel,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Groped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groped. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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