- 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.
Vandier said AI is turning military intelligence analysis from a task of groping in darkness for targets to one of sifting through piles of them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026
Mark Wood, in his first match since March because of injury and the weather, hurled a 95mph delivery that had Muhammad Rizwan groping at fresh air.
From BBC ● May 30, 2024
Carlton Huffman, 40, had accused Mr. Schlapp, 56, the head of the American Conservative Union and an adviser to former President Donald J. Trump, of groping him after a campaign event in Georgia in 2022.
From New York Times ● Mar. 26, 2024
“We are but darkened groping souls, that know not the light often because of its very blinding radiance,” wrote W.E.B.
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2024
We made our way across a dismal plain, groping for detail, sight obscured.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
