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Synonyms

grope

American  
[grohp] / groʊp /

verb (used without object)

groped, groping

  1. to feel about with the hands; feel one's way.

    I had to grope around in the darkness before I found the light switch.
    Synonyms:
    fish, probe, fumble

  2. to search blindly or uncertainly.

    He seemed to be groping for an answer to the question.

verb (used with object)

groped, groping

  1. to seek by or as if by groping.

    to grope one's way up the dark stairs.

  2. Slang. to touch or fondle (someone) for sexual pleasure, especially without the person’s consent.

noun

  1. an act or instance of groping.

  2. Slang. an act or instance of sexually fondling another person.

grope British  
/ ɡrəʊp /

verb

  1. to feel or search about uncertainly (for something) with the hands

  2. (intr; usually foll by for or after) to search uncertainly or with difficulty (for a solution, answer, etc)

  3. (tr) to find or make (one's way) by groping

  4. slang (tr) to feel or fondle the body of (someone) for sexual gratification

"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

noun

  1. the act of groping

"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

Other Word Forms

  • gropingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of grope

Before 900; Middle English gropien, Old English grāpian, derivative of grāp “grasp”; akin to gripe, grasp

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

You open your eyes and grope for your phone.

From New York Times • Apr. 21, 2024

Scott, delivers a powerhouse performance, despite having to occasionally grope for a line that isn’t immediately in reach.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2024

Mukesh became the first seamer other than Bumrah or Anderson to take a wicket in the series and the stage was set for Ashwin, only for Bumrah to whistle through Hartley's defensive grope.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2024

“Here, everything is done in-house by FIFA. So it’s been a really long and arduous process. The terms have been incredibly difficult for cities to grope with.”

From Seattle Times • Jun. 15, 2022

I fix my eyes on a shell-hole; the moment the light dies I scurry over into it, grope farther, spring into the next, duck down, scramble onward.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.