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
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
The uncertainty, the instability, the danger that pervades his life worms off the page and into your brain.
—Longreads, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for worm
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
The uncertainty, the instability, the danger that pervades his life worms off the page and into your brain.
—Longreads, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for worm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worm
Verb
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While fire hasn’t encroached on the home yet, a fire burned on the other side of the mountain, Rodney Nelson said.—
Jeff A. Chamer,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Mar. 2025
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The laws that passed after 9/11 also undermined the First Amendment by encroaching on Americans’ religious liberty.—
Abdallah Fayyad,
Vox,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But when the Israeli secret service recruits Uri for a dangerous mission in Germany, he is forced to return home and infiltrate a cell of SS veterans with the aim of locating the Nazi war criminal, Mengele.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
23 Mar. 2025
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With time running out and no viable diplomatic solutions, authorities send in Snake to infiltrate the island and rescue the President in exchange for his own freedom.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Some 11,000 of them live in the small towns and enclaves linked by two-lane highways and narrow gravel roads snaking through the forest.—
Frank Morris,
NPR,
18 Mar. 2025
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With its warm wood planking, plentiful resting areas, and plantings of long, waving grasses, the park, no matter how crowded, feels like a calm canyon snaking through crumbling tenements and monumental skyscrapers, offering occasional glimpses of the Hudson River beyond.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
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They can be installed at more ergonomic heights than a range, which requires bending over to insert or retrieve items from oven cavities.—
Jamie Gold,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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Maybe most notable is their dial design which makes the buds incredibly easy to insert and control, both real-life conveniences that often get overlooked by reviewers and buyers alike.—
Simon Hill,
Wired News,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But, somehow, life finds a way: The seafloor was crawling with critters of all shapes and sizes, from centuries-old sponges and cup corals to octopuses, snails, worms, sea spiders, icefish and even a rare giant phantom jellyfish.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 Mar. 2025
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Wright crawled out of the driver’s side door of the vehicle, Chargualaf said.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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That Ukraine’s fiber-optic FPVs are now sneaking up on Russians in their sleeping bags is a good indication that the drones are becoming extremely capable.—
David Axe,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Investigators learned the girl had snuck out of her house at about 1:30 a.m. to meet up with someone, and that person likely killed her and left her body until it was found about eight hours later, Nienhuis said.—
Olivia Lloyd,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Charges of price gouging—originally levelled at industrial farmers—were creeping into the sandwich space.—
H. C. Wilentz,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2025
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Gill-over-the-ground (also known as creeping charlie), purple dead nettle, henbit and chickweed provide sustenance for early bees, beetles, flies and wasps.—
Carl R. Gold,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Her sister, Nevaeh Garton, wrote in a GoFundMe description that Stockard slipped as the dolphin lifted her in the air on Monday, March 17.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
22 Mar. 2025
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Hands, lots of hands—outstretched, passing cords, clutching mikes, slipping vinyl out of sleeves, scratching records, tapping pads, scrawling signatures onto posters.—
Sheldon Pearce,
The New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Worm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worm. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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