1
as in encroaches
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits
neighborhoods worming into lands reserved for wildlife
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in infiltrates
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of worms
MomTok got Taylor on the plane and off to star in The Bachelorette, but not before Dakota worms his way in one last time.
—
Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Guiteau eventually worms his way into an audience, ostensibly seeking an ambassadorship for his dubious contributions to the campaign but, in reality, requesting a path to greatness.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Guiteau eventually worms his way into an audience, ostensibly seeking an ambassadorship for his dubious contributions to the campaign but, in reality, requesting a path to greatness.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worms
Verb
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As the Chinese men shoot the breeze and play cards, a mob of armed white miners gathers over the hill and encroaches on the unsuspecting outsiders.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
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Cloud Dancer, a white that is both warm and cool, reflects an overwhelmed feeling among consumers as the world feels louder and technology, in particular AI, encroaches further into our lives.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
4 Dec. 2025
Verb
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When investigative journalist infiltrates the group, the noose around the sect begins to tighten.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2026
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Directed by Daniel Chong, the movie is about a 19-year-old environmentalist who infiltrates the animal world in the body of a beaver.—
Lindsey Bahr,
Fortune,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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To accommodate the mass of passengers, the line snakes through baggage claim and around the terminal.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
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Miraculously, the line of people that usually snakes down Melrose yearning for a slice of chef Karla Subero Pittol’s passion lime fruit icebox pie is nonexistent today.—
Julissa James,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Ortiz sneaks field recordings and samples into these songs, too—each adding texture to the universe of her songs and evoking the wider world that exists just outside the frame of her narration.—
Marissa Lorusso,
Pitchfork,
24 Mar. 2026
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But some sunlight still sneaks through Earth’s atmosphere, bends around the planet and lands on the moon.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the book, Grace drags Rocky back to his part of the ship, exposing himself to the Eridian environment; in the film, Rocky crawls back while Grace is unconscious.—
Matthew Razak,
Space.com,
23 Mar. 2026
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The Shops at Yale recently announced the return of the New Haven food crawls and have added a date in December, according to a statement.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The change added a room where prisoners are to be examined and prepped for either a standard peripheral IV, or a central line — a more invasive procedure that inserts into the internal jugular in the neck, a femoral vein in the upper thigh or a subclavian vein in the chest.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
11 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, Catherine’s ignored handmaid, Nelly (Hong Chau), inserts herself into everyone’s drama out of pique.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The bottom line Concentration risk often creeps into your portfolio over time.—
Doug Ashburn,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
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But as Mecklenburg County’s sprawl creeps its way into Union County, leaders are looking for ways to preserve the area’s rural feel the farmland that supports it.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After one of Javadi's patients slips through the cracks, Dana calls in an old friend with experience running a low-tech ER.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
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The Pleiades are at their most spectacular from October to March, after which the cluster slips ever lower in the spring sky, appearing closer to the horizon with each passing night.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Worms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worms. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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