grovel
to humble oneself or act in an abject manner, as in great fear or utter servility.
to lie or crawl with the face downward and the body prostrate, especially in abject humility, fear, etc.
to take pleasure in mean or base things.
Origin of grovel
1Other words for grovel
Other words from grovel
- grov·el·er; especially British, grov·el·ler, noun
- grov·el·ing·ly; especially British, grov·el·ling·ly, adverb
- un·grov·el·ing, adjective
- un·grov·el·ling, adjective
Words that may be confused with grovel
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use grovel in a sentence
Her old doughty self, she grovelingly began to consider, was starting to decline.
The Shriek | Charles Somerville
British Dictionary definitions for grovel
/ (ˈɡrɒvəl) /
to humble or abase oneself, as in making apologies or showing respect
to lie or crawl face downwards, as in fear or humility
(often foll by in) to indulge or take pleasure (in sensuality or vice)
Origin of grovel
1Derived forms of grovel
- groveller, noun
- grovelling, noun, adjective
- grovellingly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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