groped; groping
1
: to feel about blindly or uncertainly in search
grope for the light switch
2
: to look for something blindly or uncertainly
grope for the right words
3
: to feel one's way
groped along the dark passage
groper
noun
plural gropes
: an act of groping
made a grope for the light switch
And what are these clumsy, embarrassing, fumbling encounters if they are not passes, beery gropes in the dark?—
Nick Hornby
Nick HornbyExamples of grope in a Sentence
Verb
I groped for the light switch.
She groped around in her purse, looking for her comb.
We groped along the dark passage.
She claims that her boss tried to grope her.
Recent Examples on the Web
Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 17 Oct. 2025
Krebs alleges in the lawsuit that the officer who forcibly kissed her then filed a harassment complaint against her, resulting in a second investigation, and that a third investigation had been opened, also without her approval, into an incident in which she had been groped, years earlier.
—Paul Egan, Freep.com, 15 Oct. 2025
Nicholas Pileggi, Curbed, 15 Aug. 2025
Deputy gropes grocery store worker during ride home In August 2019, Clark responded to a Rosamond grocery store parking lot about a fight, prosecutors said.
—Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for grope
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
The lewd act conviction stemmed from a teen girl’s testimony that Moseby groped her during a cheer practice.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 17 Oct. 2025
Krebs alleges in the lawsuit that the officer who forcibly kissed her then filed a harassment complaint against her, resulting in a second investigation, and that a third investigation had been opened, also without her approval, into an incident in which she had been groped, years earlier.
—Paul Egan, Freep.com, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
Cars, motor-scooters and bicycles roar away from the curbs, and another week of the great apartment grope has begun.
—Nicholas Pileggi, Curbed, 15 Aug. 2025
Deputy gropes grocery store worker during ride home In August 2019, Clark responded to a Rosamond grocery store parking lot about a fight, prosecutors said.
—Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for grope
Cite this Entry
“Grope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grope. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
grope
verb
groped; groping
1
: to seek by or as if by feeling around uncertainly
groped for the light switch
grope for the right word
2
: to feel one's way by groping
grope along a wall
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share