- 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.
“You’re groping in the dark a little bit more.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 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
The American people will be left groping in the dark.
From Salon ● Feb. 27, 2025
That groping for signposts in a fogbound landscape was on display in remarks by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday morning.
From New York Times ● Feb. 6, 2024
Sefia grabbed her pack from the floor and began rummaging around inside it, her fingers groping for the shape of the book.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
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.
