1
as in to cringe
to draw back or crouch down in fearful submission the way in which the abused dog would grovel whenever its owner came near

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

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Examples Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of grovel At which point, according to her friends, Brenner would grovel and beg her to keep him. Lisa Depaulo, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2024 The man, referred to in court documents as John Doe #2, pleaded with the crowd to not beat him up, according to prosecutors, and groveled while on his knees. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2024 Olga Rei and Valentine Uhovski Several weeks later Socialite Rank published a letter purporting to be from Palermo, groveling for the acceptance of New York's socialites. Jessica Pressler, Town & Country, 17 May 2023 Right-wing politicians like Ted Cruz groveled before him, seeking his blessing so that the base didn’t turn on them. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 25 Apr. 2023 See all Example Sentences for grovel 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grovel
Verb
  • Between the use of a speedboat as a weapon, the unceremonious and shocking murder of Billy Magnussen's big bad, and all that aggressive stabbing with a shard of wood, director Doug Liman made sure to keep audiences gasping and cringing until the very end.
    EW Staff, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2024
  • The small market teams are cringing for a number of reasons these days - the deferred money being thrown around by the Dodgers, the daunting Soto sweepstakes and the huge amount of leftover cash that will be spread around a number of far inferior bats, to name a few.
    Tony Blengino, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Some sailors clung to mooring lines, crawling across to find safety.
    Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 6 Dec. 2024
  • The creature then rips her mouth open and crawls inside.
    EW Staff, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Jennifer Urban, 2nd coach ever for Naperville North girls volleyball, leaves ‘dream job’ after making real impact Called up to varsity, sophomore guard Abe Martinez doesn’t flinch for West Aurora.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 11 Dec. 2024
  • Last year, many retailers didn’t flinch under similar circumstances and many still wound up having a successful season.
    Christina Cheddar Berk, CNBC, 25 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Meanwhile, the Christmas classics are creeping back into the mix as the holidays approach.
    Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 17 Dec. 2024
  • Other persistent inflation drivers, such as auto repairs and car insurance, also crept up modestly in November.
    Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Boards and management teams generally cower at the thought of an activist.
    Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 7 Dec. 2024
  • Fearing that the gunman was on the train, commuters were told to cower onto the floor as police searched each subway car.
    Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 8 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Reached by a real asphalted road, which snakes around the mountainside, the mountain also affords spectacular panoramic views of wooded plains way below, stretching to the horizon.
    John Hopewell, Variety, 27 Nov. 2024
  • Hit Taroona Beach, south of Hobart, during the warmer months to catch a thrilling after-dark duo: auroras snaking across the sky as electric blue bioluminescence pulses across the water.
    Stephanie Vermillion, Outside Online, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Yip says features and design elements, everything like a pocket placement to how a jacket may work with gloves—or even how smooth or stiff the zipper sliding action is—is all under consideration when designing.
    Tim Newcomb, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
  • For the Yankees, adding Bregman would slide Jazz Chisholm Jr. over to second base allowing the Astros legend to play third base.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • But a python is slithering around Peninsula, south of Cleveland.
    Mariyam Muhammad, The Enquirer, 24 Oct. 2024
  • By the thousands, the creatures converge, slithering through the waterlogged soil, propelled by their flagella.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 17 Oct. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Grovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grovel. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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