grovels

Definition of grovelsnext
present tense third-person singular of grovel
1
as in cringes
to draw back or crouch down in fearful submission the way in which the abused dog would grovel whenever its owner came near

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grovels
Verb
  • Payton cringes at the mention of a sophomore slump, that defenses will figure out Nix.
    Troy Renck, Denver Post, 6 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Critics on the Croisette are starting to resemble that classic comic-strip panel in which an explorer crawls desperately across the sand toward an oasis that’s only a mirage.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2026
  • Walking between Valmiermuiža, Labietis, Taka, and Nurme makes for one of the easiest and most enjoyable beer crawls in Europe.
    Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
Verb
  • Advertisement Throughout the narrative, Johnson never flinches in his portrayal of the wreck, unleashing footage of investigators approaching the car and the victims’ families.
    Jake King-Schreifels, Time, 15 May 2026
  • DiVincenzo never flinches at adversity.
    Marcus Thompson II, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • This is where over-reliance creeps in.
    Gregory Lipich, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
  • Hesitation creeps in, options narrow and teams begin playing within themselves.
    Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 18 May 2026
Verb
  • As his party watches silently and cowers, his intentions grow only more naked.
    Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
  • When placed in front of him, the child either cowers backward in fear and sighs with relief when it's turned off or uses the Force to deactivate it.
    Kirsten Acuna, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 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
  • Another car snakes down the road.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • As the extremely underwhelming recording of the Ronda Rousey versus Gina Carano fight quickly slides down the Netflix top 10 list, a new series has been rising, surpassing some former hits.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
  • Unlike the predictable drawers that pull out, this style slides out to the side, so pulling out paper clips feels more like an event than a rudimentary task.
    Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 18 May 2026
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

“Grovels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grovels. Accessed 23 May. 2026.

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