- present participle of grope.
groping
Americanadjective
-
moving or going about clumsily or hesitantly; stumbling.
-
showing or reflecting a desire to understand, especially something that proves puzzling.
a groping scrutiny; a groping expression.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of groping
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at grope, -ing 2
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.
Ms. Dunn’s underlying theme is that humans spent centuries groping in the dark for their position, built a system that ended that groping, and then forgot the dark was ever there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
She’s also spinning an intergenerational tale of Black women groping past their initial distrust to a deeper understanding of what they have in common.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
We’ve been groping through this land of disbelief for some time now.
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2026
Selecting Isak ahead of him lacked logic, smacking of a manager groping for answers, almost trying to get an expensive signing to play himself into the team.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2025
He was still moving in a detached half-dream, not fully aware of anything except a curious vague groping in his mind.
From "The Dark is Rising" by Susan Cooper
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