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

Listen to this article A 28-year-old man was busted for groping four women in two hours in separate Manhattan incidents, police said Friday. —Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 17 Jan. 2025

Lakewood police are searching for a man accused of groping women around the metro area on an electric mini-bike. —Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 9 Jan. 2025

Noun

At moments, the recorded strings grope toward a recognizable tonality, with trembling triads superimposed. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025

Then everyone was supposed to take a bad joke or accept a quick grope. —Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 31 Dec. 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