worm

verb

Definition of wormnext
1
as in to encroach
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits neighborhoods worming into lands reserved for wildlife

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to infiltrate
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 to snake
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

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.
Recent Examples of worm Like parasites, those jukebox musicals wormed their way into Broadway and slowly killed the medium. — Jesse Eisenberg, New Yorker, 20 July 2026 The flea larvae, which look like tiny maggots, worm their way into the carpet or mattress, feeding on the flea dirt that their parents left behind, says Benson. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 28 May 2026 OpenAI’s ChatGPT has wormed its way into more and more parts of consumers’ lives, from work to their children’s education, and even mental health and romantic relationships. — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 16 May 2026 The best success comes using it in jungle-thick cover, worming a minnow down between uncooperative branches. — John Phillips, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for worm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worm
  1. encroach
  2. infiltrate
  3. snake
  4. insert
  5. crawl
  6. sneak
  7. creep
  8. slip
Verb
  • The buzzer sounded and Banchero encroached on Johnson’s space before Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu tried to break them apart.
    — Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • In general, California property owners can trim branches and roots that encroach onto their land.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of encroach
Verb
  • Across the 13-episode first season (critics received three episodes for review), the pair immerse themselves in a newlywed bubble while trying to embrace the chaotic family and friends who orbit them — often infiltrating their private moments.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
  • In addition, Homeland Security was apparently investigating nonprofits and other organizations that help get out the vote, including interrogating the staff and covertly infiltrating their operations, according to court documents.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of infiltrate
Verb
  • Longtime collaborator Erik Blood foregrounds Butler’s dry drum machines in the mix, letting every other element shuffle around them, snaking toward the spotlight for a brief moment and retreating back into the brume.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Arthur Russell — Hall’s primary musical collaborator and the artist most associated with his own work — lived on the top floor, a cord of bootleg electricity snaking up from Ginsberg’s window to his apartment.
    — Jack Denton, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of snake
Verb
  • Initially, county officials declined to open the list, citing the security threat of inserting a thumb drive of unknown origin into a government computer.
    — Miles Parks, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Bake chicken until deeply browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh registers 165°, 25–30 minutes.
    — Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of insert
Verb
  • On thinner material, that gives you a fighting chance at keeping heat and warpage under control without crawling along at a miserable pace.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The bystander told the woman to get down on the floor before crawling into the home beneath the heaviest heat and dragging her to safety, according to the fire department.
    — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of crawl
Verb
  • However, even in situations where YCSE might appear ineligible, there is wiggle room that could allow Seyfried to sneak in.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
  • For a solid thirty minutes, the candidates defended their honor as the race’s most pro-Israel candidate — at times sneaking in jabs about their opponent.
    — Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of sneak
Verb
  • By spring, with the opportunity fading for a mass relocation of homes and businesses, optimism crept back into public discourse.
    — Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Port-au-Prince, Haiti — Trees wrap around buildings, roots sprout from riverbeds of plastic trash, and vines creep down the street.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of creep
Verb
  • John Turturro slipped into Madison Square Park and greeted a man sitting inconspicuously in a black coat and a fedora.
    — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Everything else, so soft and smooth, slips through our grasp.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of slip

Browse Nearby Words

worldwide
worm
wormed
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Cite this Entry

“Worm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worm. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about worm

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