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
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 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
-
As long as nothing encroaches on their territories, these mega-caps can continue to invent and profit with their core businesses generating consistent gains.
-
This revival finds new power in the intimate story of a family learning to love again set against one of the most consequential moments of the twentieth century, as the Nazi regime rises to power and authoritarianism encroaches on daily life.
Verb
-
Without it, walls can have a knock-on effect that infiltrates the rest of your room.
-
Nessa infiltrates Maryam’s life as her nurse, aiming to find the truth.
Verb
-
When a Knicks game lets out at the Garden or concertgoers from the Meadowlands pour out of Penn Station, crowds pack the Tick Tock’s orange-and-green banquettes and the line snakes out the door.
-
The River Caqueta snakes nearly 1,800 miles into the heart of the Amazon rainforest.
Verb
-
This episode sneaks some plot in toward the end, as the 10-Petal’s most skeptical cowboy, Austin, comes to Rip and finally — finally!
-
One of them invites Bonnie over for a sleepover, and Jessie sneaks into her overnight bag, not realizing that toys are verboten to the new generation.
Verb
-
Seltz’s system crawls hundreds of millions of pages a day, and returns results in under 200 milliseconds.
-
At sunset, the city starts glowing around you while traffic crawls silently below.
Verb
-
Luz inserts the construction pole; Susana sniffs.
-
Once seated at the computer, the hacker inserts a USB drive or external hard drive.
Verb
-
Misalignment creeps in simply because a high volume of choices are handed off to local leaders operating under distinct market pressures.
-
As our conversation extends into the hour mark, her hood creeps upward along the side of her face most visible to those around us.
Verb
-
Lili KobielskiDiscarded slips across the betting floor Sunday.
-
Edmund Teske slips between genres with two small, dreamy images that layer a woman’s face over the façades of old buildings, like memories that refuse to fade.
Cite this Entry
“Worms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worms. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
