grovel
verb (used without object)
to humble oneself or act in an abject manner, as in great fear or utter servility.
were groveling
-
past progressiveof grovel.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Some of the women in the camp were groveling in True Confessions, living in a misty world of make-believe and dreaming of the day they'd be able to go back to civilization.
From Time Magazine Archive
They were groveling there in a tangle of legs and arms when "Happy Tom" came down the grade, leading a charge which swept the embankment clean.
From The Iron Trail by Rex Ellingwood Beach
