worming

present participle of worm
1
as in encroaching
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits neighborhoods worming into lands reserved for wildlife

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2
as in sneaking
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 creeping
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 worming After a series of personal setbacks, Ingrid moves to Los Angeles to be closer to Taylor, masterminding their meeting and worming her way into her inner circle. Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026 The best success comes using it in jungle-thick cover, worming a minnow down between uncooperative branches. John Phillips, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2026 In terms of the complex set design — which looks like a facsimile of the same passage over and over but with subtle differences worming their way in — Kawamura and his team built two identical corridors for cinematographer Keisuke Imamura to follow the actors through, third- and first-person-style. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 Apr. 2026 Clara ends up moving to the small town and worming her way into everyone’s hearts. Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025 Traitors is worming its way in there. Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worming
Verb
  • Meanwhile, rescues and evacuations were underway in northern Minnesota, where over a dozen fires caused by lightning strikes were burning and encroaching on remote campsites.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 16 July 2026
  • Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett told lawmakers Tuesday that a sharp increase in threats targeting her and other justices is increasingly encroaching on their personal and family lives.
    Lindsay Whitehurst, Fortune, 14 July 2026
Verb
  • Swift, though, is adept at sneaking into places — including GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium — undetected.
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026
  • Truelove was apprehended after sneaking into Rockefeller Center’s Studio 1A to search for 71-year-old Roker.
    Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 20 July 2026
Verb
  • Many of the dummies evolved admirably over the competition’s final hour, complete with fine laugh lines and subtle details like creeping wisps of nose hair, which were gingerly applied with tweezers and Krazy Glue.
    John Semley, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026
  • The surge in short interest coincides with a decidedly bearish sentiment creeping into what had been a relentlessly bullish AI trade.
    Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
Verb
  • One of the scenarios simulated terrorists infiltrating the kibbutz kindergarten.
    Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2026
  • In a video statement released shortly before the strikes, Al-Aqili warned against infiltrating Yemeni airspace with Iranian aircraft.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026
Verb
  • They’re wrapped around thumbnails, crawling up ring fingernails, and shining with 3D dewdrops.
    Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 27 July 2026
  • Fort Hood, Texas, one of the Army's largest bases, has closed one of its dining facilities after a video circulating on X appeared to show dozens of roaches crawling across the walls of the facility's kitchen.
    Steven Beynon, ABC News, 23 July 2026
Verb
  • For larger containers, Steinkopf recommends inserting a wooden dowel into the pot to check moisture deeper in the root ball, since the bottom may still be damp even if the surface feels dry.
    Colleen Sullivan, Martha Stewart, 21 July 2026
  • Coming off a left hip flexor strain, the Mets wanted to give him a full workday before inserting him into the lineup again, which wasn’t possible with the wildfire smoke.
    Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 16 July 2026
Verb
  • Towering over the Central Business District and the snaking ribbon of the Waller Creek Greenbelt Trail, this 37-story hotel stands out amidst the Austin skyline.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 July 2026
  • Butter & Cream A certain national chain may be just around the corner in Decatur, but that doesn’t stop lines from snaking out the door at Butter & Cream.
    Lia Picard, AJC.com, 22 July 2026
Verb
  • When the device first appeared on the rumor mill, it was tipped for a potential 2025 arrival, before slipping to spring 2026.
    Paul Lamkin, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Mercado opened the scoring in the 17th minute, slipping behind the Wave's back line before meeting Ainsley McCammon’s cross with a header for her third goal in three matches.
    ABC News, ABC News, 27 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Worming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worming. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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