grovel

intransitive-verb
UK: /ˈɡrɒvəl/
US: /ˈɡrɑːvəl/

  1. To lie or move on the ground face down, especially in fear or humility.

    1. He started to grovel at my feet.
    2. The dog will grovel if it thinks it's in trouble, trying to avoid punishment.

  2. To behave with excessive and insincere flattery to gain favor.

    1. I won't grovel to get a promotion.
    2. He's always trying to grovel before the boss hoping for special treatment.

Synonyms

bootlick fawn cringe kowtow crawl
grovel noun

  1. The act of lying or crawling abjectly on the ground.

    1. His grovel was pathetic to see.
    2. She considered his grovel a sign of weakness and lack of self-respect.

  2. The act of behaving obsequiously in order to obtain someone’s forgiveness or favor.

    1. His grovel didn't impress me.
    2. The employee's grovel after the mistake seemed insincere and manipulative.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "grovel" in English means: To lie or move on the ground face down, especially in fear or humility., To behave with excessive and insincere flattery to gain favor..

The phonetic transcription of "grovel" is /ˈɡrɒvəl/ in British English and /ˈɡrɑːvəl/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "grovel": bootlick, fawn, cringe, kowtow, crawl.

Example usage of "grovel": "He started to grovel at my feet.". More examples on the page.