grope

1 of 2

verb

groped; groping

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

1
: feel up
claims that her boss tried to grope her
2
: to find (one's way) by groping
groper noun

grope

2 of 2

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

Examples 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
Verb
In the months since Ventura’s lawsuit, several individuals have sued Combs including Dawn Richard, a former member of the girl group Danity Kane, who alleged that Combs groped, assaulted and imprisoned her and threatened her life. CORRECTION (Oct. 15, 2024, 3:25 p.m. Chloe Melas, NBC News, 14 Oct. 2024 The mother who said her daughter was groped said her child testified to the grand jury, and found their decision painful. Meena Duerson, CNN, 15 Sep. 2024
Noun
On numerous occasions, under the guise of helping a stylist prepare Richard for performances, Combs would also barge into her changing room unannounced and grope parts of her body without her consent, the lawsuit also alleges. Janelle Griffith, NBC News, 11 Sep. 2024 He was arrested in December 2017 on similar charges when former members went to police after seeing Stair grope a 12-year-old in front of his congregation on YouTube. Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for grope 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grope.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English grāpian; akin to Old English grīpan to seize

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1513, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of grope was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near grope

Cite this Entry

“Grope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grope. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids 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

More from Merriam-Webster on grope

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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