grovel
verb (used without object)
to humble oneself or act in an abject manner, as in great fear or utter servility.
had groveled
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past perfectof grovel.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
Through the crag's proud centuries, a squalid village had groveled 500 feet below on the poplar-lined banks of the river Lot.
From Time Magazine Archive
Just before El Glaoui died last year at 80, the old man had groveled abjectly before the man he had forced into exile, begging forgiveness.
From Time Magazine Archive
It was also said that he, the great "gunman," Pap, had groveled at her feet like any callow school-youth.
From The Triumph of John Kars A Story of the Yukon by Ridgwell Cullum
McGowan had groveled in dissent, but it had made no impression on Garry, whose duty it was to see that the work was properly carried out and whose signature loosened the village purse strings.
From Peter: a novel of which he is not the hero by Francis Hopkinson Smith
It was that same Spong who had groveled in the mud of Buckingham Palace Road nine hours ago.
From The Wheel O' Fortune by Louis Tracy
