1
as in encroached
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits
neighborhoods worming into lands reserved for wildlife
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in infiltrated
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wormed
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 Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum initially believed that the bug, which eluded detection and caused countless medical issues, wormed its way into her system while filming Bravo's The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip in Morocco in early 2023.
—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Feb. 2026
We as a community contain (often brain-wormed) multitudes, as evidenced by this year’s plethora gay Halloween costumes.
—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
31 Oct. 2025
After a scramble from Baltimore’s corner kick, Kerr’s header at the back post wormed through a thicket of defenders, and Cuthbert had the final touch.
—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
This story has wormed its way into all levels of British cultural output.
—
Will Collins,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Sep. 2025
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
16 May 2026
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum initially believed that the bug, which eluded detection and caused countless medical issues, wormed its way into her system while filming Bravo's The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip in Morocco in early 2023.
—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Feb. 2026
We as a community contain (often brain-wormed) multitudes, as evidenced by this year’s plethora gay Halloween costumes.
—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
31 Oct. 2025
After a scramble from Baltimore’s corner kick, Kerr’s header at the back post wormed through a thicket of defenders, and Cuthbert had the final touch.
—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
This story has wormed its way into all levels of British cultural output.
—
Will Collins,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wormed
Verb
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Ditching a 90-year-old decision, the court said restrictions Congress placed on a president’s ability to remove members of independent agencies like the Federal Trade Commission encroached on presidential power.
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Dominik Livakovic saved Harry Kane’s first attempt, but a retake was ordered because the goalkeeper had moved off his line and defender Josko Gvardiol had encroached into the area early before clearing the rebound.
Verb
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The Ukrainian military said Saturday that small groups of Russian soldiers had infiltrated the town, but counter-sabotage operations were ongoing.
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The same informant then infiltrated a second conference, in 2020.
Verb
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When the rain cleared, an American flag that covered most of the outfield was unfurled during the national anthem, and the fog slowly crept in.
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Vozinha crept toward Messi, rather than wait on his back foot, and stuffed Messi’s right-footed shot.
Verb
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In Leo’s case, the first-generation constellation is designed to span 3,232 satellites inserted into specific orbits to cover certain geographic regions.
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For small, simple molecules, the researchers simply inserted a gene that encodes a pore protein into the SpudCell genome.
Verb
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So, while the Dodgers crawled out of the hole with a season-high 17 hits, the steep cost heightens the pressure on the rest of the rotation the rest of the series.
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Unlike text or images, robotic manipulation data cannot be crawled from the internet.
Verb
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On Tuesday, French Open champion Alexander Zverev slipped worryingly on the baseline but was able to get straight back up.
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The employment-to-population ratio slipped to 59% in June, the lowest since October 2021.
Verb
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The famous crack snaked through during its ringing at the funeral of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835 and widened beyond repair in 1846 while marking George Washington’s birthday.
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Extension cords snaked down the sidewalk to power laptops.
Verb
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When grounders sneaked through the infield, his body language was uneventful.
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Some stuff released a bit earlier this week and snuck past me.
Cite this Entry
“Wormed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wormed. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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