grovels

Definition of grovelsnext
present tense third-person singular of grovel
1
as in cringes
to draw back or crouch down in fearful submission the way in which the abused dog would grovel whenever its owner came near

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grovels
Verb
  • Payton cringes at the mention of a sophomore slump, that defenses will figure out Nix.
    Troy Renck, Denver Post, 6 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • In the book, Grace drags Rocky back to his part of the ship, exposing himself to the Eridian environment; in the film, Rocky crawls back while Grace is unconscious.
    Matthew Razak, Space.com, 23 Mar. 2026
  • The Shops at Yale recently announced the return of the New Haven food crawls and have added a date in December, according to a statement.
    Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 18 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Lubezki’s camera gets close to the action and never flinches, which underscores Iñarritu’s commitment to excessive mayhem at every turn.
    Eric Kohn, IndieWire, 25 Feb. 2026
  • Cash flinches from this cascade of consequences.
    Gideon Leek, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The same game of legislative chicken now starts anew as the calendar creeps toward April.
    Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
  • This time round, though, an unfortunate silliness sometimes creeps in, where the film risks tipping over Shakespearean-size emotions into embarrassing bathos.
    Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • If Venezuela and its region instead spiral into chaos and suffering, Trump will merely look like a bully, a president who cowers when facing the mighty — in Moscow or Beijing, say — but bombs those who can’t return fire, whether in Nigeria, Yemen or Venezuela.
    Andreas Kluth, Boston Herald, 7 Jan. 2026
  • The Guthrie family cowers in obedient fear of its brooding patriarch (Peter Mullan).
    Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • To accommodate the mass of passengers, the line snakes through baggage claim and around the terminal.
    Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Miraculously, the line of people that usually snakes down Melrose yearning for a slice of chef Karla Subero Pittol’s passion lime fruit icebox pie is nonexistent today.
    Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • When oil is shimmering and easily slides across surface of pan, carefully add tofu in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown underneath, about 4-5 minutes.
    Gretchen McKay, Twin Cities, 26 Mar. 2026
  • The Touch Pad Folio LED Makeup Mirror features a slim, streamlined design that slides easily into your bag for convenient storage.
    ABC News, ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Grovels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grovels. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.

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