1
as in to cringe
to draw back or crouch down in fearful submission the way in which the abused dog would grovel whenever its owner came near

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

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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 grovel One moment involves Dickinson smashing up china and making Romy grovel on the floor to pick up the pieces. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 28 Dec. 2024 Aren’t the most interesting people the ones who can’t make up their minds about their world, who sometimes sneer and sometimes grovel? Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2024 Park City–Salt Lake City remains the funniest option, after months of groveling from other cities. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2024 After the fallout of episode 7, plenty of dudes should be grovelling for forgiveness right now. Alexandra Koster, refinery29.com, 7 Feb. 2024 See All Example Sentences for grovel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grovel
Verb
  • Gellar chatted with Glamour about the advice her Dexter costar Michael C. Hall told her about returning to an iconic role, her one film her kids don’t find cringe, and her rules for re-creating 90s fashion.
    Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 17 Mar. 2025
  • And everyone would cringe at the thought of disappointing their colleagues.
    Justin Gest, Newsweek, 10 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • If no shelter is available, crawl to an interior wall away from windows.
    Helena Wegner, Sacbee.com, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Senators from both sides of the aisle are reigniting efforts to crawl back technology companies’ legal immunities with hopes bipartisan support in Congress could push the bill across the finish line this session and gain the backing of President Trump.
    Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill, 2 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • When UConn, national champs the last two years, appears on the screen on Selection Sunday, probably as a No. 8 seed, their first-, and potential second-round opponent may flinch, for a moment, at seeing the Huskies’ brand in their bracket.
    Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Witnesses to Utah’s last firing squad execution recently recalled to NBC News the sound of rapid gunfire in the chamber and how the inmate, Ronnie Lee Gardner, appeared to flinch and move his arm after being shot.
    Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 7 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Charges of price gouging—originally levelled at industrial farmers—were creeping into the sandwich space.
    H. C. Wilentz, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
  • Conclusion Just as the zenith of economic and earnings optimism in early 2025 gave way to creeping concerns about the durability of growth under pressure from possible tariff increases, maximum pessimism will eventually give way to a better reality.
    Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The top-grossing films of the ’90s, such as Titanic and Jurassic Park, had budgets that would cower in the face of the $300 million+ figures now seen from such fares as the Russo Brothers’ The Electric State, now streaming on Netflix.
    Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2025
  • The track-only Bugatti Bolide is one of the very fastest cars in the world, topping out at a claimed 311 mph, which makes mere supercars cower in fear.
    Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Developed over two years, the Serpenti Aeterna watch snaking around the wrist features a clasp closure mechanism and signature hexagonal scales etched in the inner contour.
    Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 1 Apr. 2025
  • At the antiques shop, overflowing with bronze sculptures and ornate lamps, a train snakes through to dispense tea.
    Rachel Sherman, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • In Italy, Tesla’s first-quarter sales slid 7% compared with the same time last year, according to the country’s transport ministry.
    Robert Ilich, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.
    STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The two-track body of work boasts snakey slithering synths, explosive drops, effervescent sounds, hard-hitting tunes, hypnotic soundscapes and erratic beats that build up into a crescendo followed by techno designed to ignite the dance floor.
    Lisa Kocay, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • His rapping has a frail, slithering quality; his vocal tone morphs between cute squeakiness and ragged rottweiler growls.
    Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Grovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grovel. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.

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