worming

present participle of worm
1
as in encroaching
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits neighborhoods worming into lands reserved for wildlife

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in sneaking
to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way over a period of several years, the undercover agent was able to worm his way into the drug kingpin's confidence

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in creeping
to move slowly with the body close to the ground the cat silently wormed along the ground as it snuck up on the bird

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for worming
Verb
  • The partnership was formed to address the invasive trees and shrubs encroaching on the natural grasslands in TNC's Folsom Point Preserve in Iowa, which is located just over 12 miles from Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo.
    Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Ideal for the coats-and-boots season fastly encroaching.
    Miriam Schwartz, Boston Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Here is Carreras profiting from that exact ploy while playing for Benfica against Barcelona in the Champions League last season, sneaking forward on the far side before receiving the switch and hammering a low cross into striker Vangelis Pavlidis to score.
    Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Eileen’s determination to face down the boys and be accepted for her full self or Hedda sneaking around and steering everyone’s fates behind the scenes?
    Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • That combination of high winds and creeping progress makes Melissa both unusual and unusually dangerous.
    Sara Sneath, The Atlantic, 28 Oct. 2025
  • The chill is creeping in and the flowers that once filled your summer containers may be spent, but don't put those pots away just yet.
    Miranda Crowell, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Billitier did have a hell of a story to tell about his decades of undercover work for the FBI, including several years infiltrating a Colombian drug ring in Texas.
    Steve Belanger, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Even with fewer boaters on the water, the threat of aquatic nuisance species infiltrating your favorite lake remains.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Tropical Storm Melissa is crawling through the Caribbean Sea, threatening to unleash life-threatening flooding and mudslides across parts of the region later this week.
    Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
  • These flat robots have multiple modes of movement, capable of jumping or crawling at multiple speeds.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Also on Sunday, Sturm scratched second line center Casey Mittelstadt, moving Pavel Zacha to center and re-inserting Khusnutdinov back into the lineup and onto the second line.
    Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Back in 2019 the Dolphins were intentionally tanking the team, trading quality players before the season and routinely inserting players claimed off the waiver wire into the lineup.
    Omar Kelly Updated October 19, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Of course, a raw peak power figure looks impressive on paper but is far from the bottom line when snaking your way up and down mountains of sand in the desert.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The Biden administration’s prevailing wage rule has also raised concerns that snaking requirements backed by Big Labor are throttling the industry.
    Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Women’s Power Stride Tab Socks 3-pack Designed with training in mind, this three-pack of no-show socks boasts an interior grip that keeps them from slipping during use.
    Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Messi picked up the ball from his compatriot Rodrigo De Paul in midfield and burst toward the backpedaling Nashville back line before slipping the ball outside to Luis Suárez.
    The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Worming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worming. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

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