Definition of grovelnext
1
as in to cringe
to draw back or crouch down in fearful submission the way in which the abused dog would grovel whenever its owner came near

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2
as in to crawl
to move slowly with the body close to the ground because of their anatomy, bats can only grovel while moving along the ground

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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 grovel That’s the saddest cash-grab gimmick ever, groveling for Dubai dollars. Sports Columnist, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Jan. 2026 The stringent businessman makes Marty suffer and grovel for his money, at one point exerting his power by spanking the young man’s bare bottom with a wooden ping-pong paddle. Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025 For all its faults, Survivor stands as the most influential reality TV show of all time, and to see Probst essentially grovel at the feet of Mr. Beast to get some of his audience share is genuinely icky. Joe Reid, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025 Rather than wait it out until January 2029, when magical thinking assumes the current transatlantic nightmare will come to an end, the EU needs to stop groveling and build greater sovereignty. Matthias Matthijs, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for grovel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grovel
Verb
  • Try and get through this one without cringing.
    Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
  • Everyone thought the first season was so cringe and felt so bad for her.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • Surveillance video from one convenience store that was burglarized shows a man in a hoodie crawling in through a hole in the bottom of the front door, climbing over the front counter and opening the cash register.
    CBS News, CBS News, 14 May 2026
  • Staff started out by wearing bear masks and animal furs, then crawling into the enclosure to spoon-feed the cubs formula.
    Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Verb
  • That last question is the one most leaders flinch from.
    Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
  • Smalley finally flinched with a devastating double bogey.
    Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 17 May 2026
Verb
  • Inflation rates are creeping above average wage increases, and could stay there until the situation in Iran is resolved.
    Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
  • Still, dozens of drivers crept around the lot, hoping to pounce if someone pulled out.
    Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
Verb
  • The Russian ambassador cowered inside the pavilion.
    Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
  • But Wednesday night, they were handed a harsh lesson from a true contender — one that smelled blood against a team that cowered and played scared to death from the 20-minute mark on.
    Michael Russo, New York Times, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • Legislation in Louisiana seeks to address the Supreme Court ruling by scrapping a district that snakes over 200 miles (321 kilometers) northwest from the capital, Baton Rouge, to Shreveport, creating a voting bloc with a majority of Black residents.
    ABC News, ABC News, 14 May 2026
  • Louisiana map scraps snaking district Legislation in Louisiana seeks to address the Supreme Court ruling by scrapping a district that snakes over 200 miles (321 kilometers) northwest from the capital, Baton Rouge, to Shreveport, creating a voting bloc with a majority of Black residents.
    Jeffrey Collins, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • Shaggy moved his limbs as instructed, and the carriage slid back and forth.
    Natalie Meade, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
  • His sliding catch in left field in the eighth prevented James Outman, who hit a one-out triple, from scoring the tying run from third.
    CBS News, CBS News, 17 May 2026
Verb
  • Learn how to keep snakes out of your yard and how to safely get rid of snakes that slither in.
    Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 18 May 2026
  • Embiid is waiting to impede Bridges, but Bridges doesn’t even touch him, instead slithering around his left hip.
    Fred Katz, New York Times, 15 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Grovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grovel. Accessed 24 May. 2026.

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