grope

1 of 2

verb

ˈgrōp 

groped; groping

intransitive verb

1

: to feel about blindly or uncertainly in search

grope for the light switch

2

: to look for something blindly or uncertainly

grope for the right words

3

: to feel one's way

groped along the dark passage

transitive verb

1

: feel up

claims that her boss tried to grope her

2

: to find (one's way) by groping

groper noun

grope

2 of 2

noun

plural gropes

: an act of groping

made a grope for the light switch

And what are these clumsy, embarrassing, fumbling encounters if they are not passes, beery gropes in the dark?

—Nick Hornby

Synonyms

Verb

• feel
• fish
• fumble
• scrabble

Examples of grope in a Sentence

Verb

I groped for the light switch.

She groped around in her purse, looking for her comb.

We groped along the dark passage.

She claims that her boss tried to grope her.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The reality star husband allegedly grabbed and groped Orville Palmer, a cameraman for the show, on Sept. 1, 2018 while filming an episode. —Diane J. Cho, People.com, 19 Dec. 2024

The lawsuit claims women had been urinated on and groped, Aylward said. —Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 12 Dec. 2024

Noun

On numerous occasions, under the guise of helping a stylist prepare Richard for performances, Combs would also barge into her changing room unannounced and grope parts of her body without her consent, the lawsuit also alleges. —Janelle Griffith, NBC News, 11 Sep. 2024

He was arrested in December 2017 on similar charges when former members went to police after seeing Stair grope a 12-year-old in front of his congregation on YouTube. —Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English grāpian; akin to Old English grīpan to seize

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1513, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing grope

• grope one's way

Kids Definition

grope

verb

ˈgrōp 

groped; groping

1

: to seek by or as if by feeling around uncertainly

groped for the light switch

grope for the right word

2

: to feel one's way by groping

grope along a wall