grovel
verb (used without object)
to humble oneself or act in an abject manner, as in great fear or utter servility.
had grovelled
-
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.
I was angry because I had grovelled before a godown and a stable, though the round world cannot hold their equals.
From From Sea to Sea Letters of Travel by Rudyard Kipling
How he had grovelled before her when the truth was known; what shameful efforts he had made to remedy what he had considered at the outset a woman's passing whim!
From The Enemies of Women (Los enemigos de la mujer) by Vicente Blasco Ib??ez
My spirit had grovelled in a state of prostration, stripped of its wings and its wand of power.
From The Catholic World; Volume I, Issues 1-6 A Monthly Eclectic Magazine by E. Rameur
He had had moments of despondency over his idea, had grovelled in abject despair during trying periods of execution, but now all uncertainty—all misgivings evaporated like an obscuring fog before a burst of light.
From The Wheel of Life by Ellen Anderson Gholson Glasgow
Did ever a man die the easier because he had grovelled at the knees of Huxley?
From The Turquoise Cup, and, the Desert by Arthur Cosslett Smith
