grovel

verb

grov·​el ˈgrä-vᵊl  ˈgrə- 

groveled or grovelled; groveling or grovelling

intransitive verb

1

: to creep with the face to the ground : crawl

2

a

: to lie or creep with the body prostrate in token of subservience or abasement

groveled at the feet of the king

b

: to abase oneself

would not grovel for political advantage

3

: to give oneself over to what is base or unworthy : wallow

groveling in self-pity

groveler

ˈgrä-vᵊl-ər 

ˈgrə-

noun

grovelingly

ˈgrä-vᵊl-iŋ-lē 

ˈgrə-

adverb

Synonyms

• cower
• cringe
• quail

Examples of grovel in a Sentence

The peasants groveled before the king.

He had to grovel to get her to accept his apology.

He made a groveling apology to his girlfriend.

Recent Examples on the Web

As the Cabinet went around the room, even some conservatives denounced the display of groveling before Trump. —Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2025

Related Articles Letters: Apple’s biggest problem is groveling for Trump Trump’s commerce secretary says new electronics tariff exemptions are temporary, chip tariffs coming These Silicon Valley tech leaders donated to Donald Trump. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2025

What begins as a modest levy swells into a sprawling system, where bureaucrats decide who pays, who benefits, and who grovels for exemptions. —Jon Fleischman, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2025

Of course, that doesn’t apply in Trump’s government where merit is completely overridden by groveling and total worship of the president. —Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 29 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from groveling prone, from groveling, adverb, from Middle English, from gruf, adverb, on the face (from Old Norse ā grūfu) + -ling

First Known Use

1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for grovel

• novel

Kids Definition

grovel

verb

grov·​el ˈgräv-əl  ˈgrəv- 

groveled or grovelled; groveling or grovelling

-(ə-)liŋ

1

: to creep or lie face down on the ground (as in fear)

2

: to degrade oneself by behaving in an excessively submissive way : cringe

groveler noun

or groveller

-(ə-)lər