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groper

1 American  
[groh-per] / ˈgroʊ pər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that gropes.

  2. Slang. a person who touches or fondles someone for sexual pleasure, especially without the person’s consent.


groper 2 American  
[groh-per] / ˈgroʊ pər /

noun

  1. a large, purplish food fish, Achoerodus gouldii, inhabiting waters off Australia and New Zealand, characterized by an enormous gape.


groper British  
/ ˈɡrəʊpə /

noun

  1. Also called: garoupa. any large marine serranid fish of the genus Epinephelus and related genera, of warm and tropical seas

"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

Etymology

Origin of groper1

First recorded in 1560–70; grope + -er 1

Origin of groper2

Apparently alteration of grouper 1, perhaps by association with grope


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.

See Examples For:

Last month, Washington's top diplomat in London, Warren Stephens, said Miliband had been "wrong" in 2016 to call Mr Trump "a racist, misogynistic self-confessed groper" and added "hopefully his views have changed".

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

Blueback is the name of the groper that is a symbol of the bay's wildlife that is endangered by predatory developers.

From Salon ● Mar. 2, 2023

Abby also befriends Blueback – a big-mouthed Australian fish known as a groper that lives in the water – and tries to protect him from danger.

From Salon ● Mar. 2, 2023

I have a beautiful young son now, and I wonder: How can I instill in him a code that prevents him from becoming a groper or harasser?

From New York Times ● Feb. 24, 2018

Happily this fault is rare in Schiller, and more happily still, his great mind did not long remain a groper amidst the 'Realm of Shadow.'

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 53, No. 330, April 1843 by Various

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