as in fumbles
to search for something blindly or uncertainly
she groped in her purse for her car keys groping for the right answer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 gropes
In the video, a woman exposes herself and an officer, identified by investigators as Herman, gropes her, police said in a statement last year.
—
Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 15 Aug. 2025
Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gropes
Verb
-
If the creditor fumbles the process, then an otherwise valid and collectible debt may be barred.—
Virginia Hammerle,
Dallas Morning News,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Sonny feels like a departure; unlike Bernthal’s mercenaries, Sonny fumbles with his gun, has a bleeding heart, and lays his vulnerabilities bare.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Most of his clan had inherited the freckled, rabbity Kennedy looks.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
-
To Hoffius, Dick Monfort’s world looks just the same.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The likelihood of lightning increases as a thunderstorm gets closer and reaches its highest point when the storm is directly overhead.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Instead of collapsing indefinitely or evaporating completely through Hawking radiation, the black hole reaches a stable state.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gropes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gropes. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
