- 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.
Groping for competitive edge, some may have found or created protection within membranes and walls, leading to the first cells.
From National Geographic • Jan. 14, 2021
Groping blindly, European and especially British explorers began trying to map this seascape beginning in the late 1500s — leading to a series of small advances, smattered with setbacks and tragedies, over centuries.
From Washington Post • Dec. 19, 2017
Groping through the thick fog, slipping on the wet clay topsoil, they screamed for help.
From Time Magazine Archive
Groping for the front door, she was seized with panic.
From Time Magazine Archive
Groping for the right words, Lupita said shyly, “Not once did I write that you and Uncle Hermilio do not get along together or that you work in the fields.”
From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty
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.
