1
2
as in to infiltrate
to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way
over a period of several years, the undercover agent was able to worm his way into the drug kingpin's confidence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of worm
Chain Reactions Director: Alexandre O. Philippe Featuring: Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King, Karyn Kusama
United States, 2024
For fifty years, Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has terrified audiences by worming its way into their subconscious.
—
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2025
In recent years, inclusion mandates and training have wormed their way into virtually every facet of American life, including (but certainly not limited to) Hollywood, corporations and academia, just to name a few of the most prominent targets.
—Matt K. Lewis, Twin Cities, 9 Feb. 2025
While all this is going on, Chloe begins secretly hanging out and hooking up with Tyler's friend Ryan (West Mulholland), a sinister jock who worms his way into her good graces as a shoulder to cry on.
—Megan McCluskey, TIME, 24 Jan. 2025
For context, the US intelligence community is currently reeling after discovering that hackers linked to the PRC wormed their way deep into US telecommunications infrastructure, potentially compromising things like phone calls and text messages.
—WIRED, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for worm
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2025
In recent years, inclusion mandates and training have wormed their way into virtually every facet of American life, including (but certainly not limited to) Hollywood, corporations and academia, just to name a few of the most prominent targets.
—Matt K. Lewis, Twin Cities, 9 Feb. 2025
While all this is going on, Chloe begins secretly hanging out and hooking up with Tyler's friend Ryan (West Mulholland), a sinister jock who worms his way into her good graces as a shoulder to cry on.
—Megan McCluskey, TIME, 24 Jan. 2025
For context, the US intelligence community is currently reeling after discovering that hackers linked to the PRC wormed their way deep into US telecommunications infrastructure, potentially compromising things like phone calls and text messages.
—WIRED, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for worm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worm
Verb
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This demon used to be a giant boar, but was driven mad after being shot with an iron bullet, a sign that civilization is irreversibly encroaching on the natural world.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
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Brenda Deal, who wants to sell her house there, learned her garage and shed might be encroaching on the right of way, based on GIS maps.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Amid the chaos of the Pittsburgh emergency room where bodily fluids ruin budding med students' scrubs and doctors cut off their ankle monitors, Jesse Van Horn, a silver fox nurse with a nose ring has been infiltrating our screens — and the internet has taken notice.—
Ilana Kaplan,
People.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Bad actors are infiltrating companies to steal data, plant malware, or steal funds.—
Jack Kelly,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Moscow is particularly adept at what is known as hybrid warfare, a raft of tactics that can include targeting vital cables snaking along the seabed.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
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On Tuesday night, 800 lucky Goose fans snaked they way through the Shed at Hudson Yards to enter a world where music and art fused in a swirling, electric dreamscape.—
Caroline Tell,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But inserting yourself, even with unspoken opinions, is going to lead to hard feelings.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
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No ancient dire wolf genes themselves were directly inserted into the genome, however.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Simply fill the moat with water to keep unwanted pests from crawling down to the nectar ports.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
12 Apr. 2025
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And setting your baby down on the ground to crawl around isn’t the cleanest option.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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How did Passover and Easter sneak up on us so fast?—
Gretta Monahan,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2025
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But a better travel pillow does all that and sneaks an extra day’s worth of clothing onto the plane without catching a gate agent’s attention.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Apr. 2025
Verb
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This creeping groundcover thrives in dappled shade and is a good choice for the front of a perennial border or growing between trees and shrubs in a woodland garden.—
Rita Pelczar,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Apr. 2025
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Beyond that, temperatures will creep above normal into the weekend and early next week.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Parham, a former Methodist married to a woman from a Quaker family, had come to Kansas from Iowa, after touring holiness camps and talking with global missionaries, some of whom told him about seeing recent converts slip into trances and speak in tongues.—
Casey Cep,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
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The JLab Go Air Sport earbuds pound with bass and never slip mid-workout.—
Shubham Yewale,
PC Magazine,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Worm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worm. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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