worm

1
as in to encroach
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits neighborhoods worming into lands reserved for wildlife

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2
as in to infiltrate
to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way over a period of several years, the undercover agent was able to worm his way into the drug kingpin's confidence

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3
as in to snake
to move slowly with the body close to the ground the cat silently wormed along the ground as it snuck up on the bird

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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 worm The plot might seem repetitive, going back and forth between Violet trying to follow the anonymous rules and worming her way out of them to seek help (only to be outsmarted), but the movie’s exciting, stage-like formal flourishes and its disorienting lensing keep things moving smoothly. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 10 Mar. 2025 Chain Reactions Director: Alexandre O. Philippe Featuring: Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King, Karyn Kusama United States, 2024 For fifty years, Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has terrified audiences by worming its way into their subconscious. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2025 In recent years, inclusion mandates and training have wormed their way into virtually every facet of American life, including (but certainly not limited to) Hollywood, corporations and academia, just to name a few of the most prominent targets. Matt K. Lewis, Twin Cities, 9 Feb. 2025 While all this is going on, Chloe begins secretly hanging out and hooking up with Tyler's friend Ryan (West Mulholland), a sinister jock who worms his way into her good graces as a shoulder to cry on. Megan McCluskey, TIME, 24 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for worm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worm
Verb
  • Rising sea levels not only push back its shorelines, but the encroaching salt water also erodes the country’s limited farmland.
    Kathleen Magramo, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Democrats have repeatedly warned against Republican budget proposals encroaching on Medicaid.
    Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Amid the chaos of the Pittsburgh emergency room where bodily fluids ruin budding med students' scrubs and doctors cut off their ankle monitors, Jesse Van Horn, a silver fox nurse with a nose ring has been infiltrating our screens — and the internet has taken notice.
    Ilana Kaplan, People.com, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Bad actors are infiltrating companies to steal data, plant malware, or steal funds.
    Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • In New York, marchers snaked their way past Trump Tower Saturday.
    Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 19 Apr. 2025
  • New York declined to accept the first two hammers, cutting the team’s lead to a single point, before Horschel’s long putt snaked into the hole at the 14th to give Atlanta a dramatic lead.
    George Ramsay, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Tightness in your gastrocnemius (calf) muscle, which inserts into the Achilles tendon, can contribute to this strain.
    Tim Petrie, DPT, Verywell Health, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Posey was a breakout star in the latter stretch of the season and was eventually inserted into the starting lineup.
    Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Freya crawled on top of her, interrupting the seizure.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 Apr. 2025
  • Continue to update your site with new, high-quality blogs, and search engines will more frequently crawl your site.
    Tonia Ryan, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Two assailants sneaked into a camp of workers building the Z-Morh tunnel (an important highway project) and opened fire at the laborers and engineers.
    Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
  • The track reenters the Official Singles Sales chart at No. 2 — a brand new high — and also sneaks back onto the main Official Singles list, landing at No. 44.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • His eyes dart to her as his thick mustache creeps up to reveal a half smile.
    Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2025
  • McGee, Sam, Knight, and Torres creep onto the ship and split into teams of two.
    Sara Netzley, EW.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The 10-year Treasury yield slipped on Friday as investors weighed the latest developments on the global trade front, including new comments from U.S. President Donald Trump.
    Lisa Kailai Han,Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
  • The polls show Trump has slipped three percentage points in his approval rating from March to April.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Worm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worm. Accessed 1 May. 2025.

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