grovel

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Related to grovel: Gravol

grov·el

(grŏv′əl, grŭv′-)

intr.v. grov·eled, grov·el·ing, grov·els also grov·elled or grov·el·ling

1. To behave in a servile or obsequious manner.

2. To lie or creep in a prostrate position, as in subservience or humility.

3. To give oneself over to base pleasures: "Have we not groveled here long enough, eating and drinking like mere brutes?" (Walt Whitman).

[Back-formation from obsolete groveling, prone, face downward, from Middle English : (on) grufe, face downwards (from Old Norse ā grūfu, from grūfa, to grovel) + -ling, adv. suff.; see -ling².]

grov′el·er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

grovel

(ˈɡrɒvəl)

vb (intr) , -els, -elling or -elled, -els, -eling or -eled

1. to humble or abase oneself, as in making apologies or showing respect

2. to lie or crawl face downwards, as in fear or humility

3. (often foll by in) to indulge or take pleasure (in sensuality or vice)

[C16: back formation from obsolete groveling (adv), from Middle English on grufe on the face, of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse ā grūfu, from grūfa prone position; see -ling²]

ˈgroveller, ˈgroveler n

ˈgrovelling, ˈgroveling n, adj

ˈgrovellingly, ˈgrovelingly adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

grov•el

(ˈgrɒv əl, ˈgrʌv-)

v.i. -eled, -el•ing (esp. Brit.) -elled, -el•ling.

1. to humble oneself or act in an abject manner.

2. to lie or crawl with the face downward and the body prostrate in abject humility, fear, etc.

3. to take pleasure in base things.

[1585–95; back formation from obsolete groveling (adv.) = obsolete grufe face down (< Old Norse ā grūfu face down) + -ling²]

grov′el•er, esp. Brit., grov′el•ler, n.

grovel

, groveling - Grovel is a back-formation from groveling—which first meant "face downward in a prone or prostrate position."

grovel

Past participle: grovelled
Gerund: grovelling

Imperative
grovel
grovel

Present
I grovel
you grovel
he/she/it grovels
we grovel
you grovel
they grovel

Preterite
I grovelled
you grovelled
he/she/it grovelled
we grovelled
you grovelled
they grovelled

Present Continuous
I am grovelling
you are grovelling
he/she/it is grovelling
we are grovelling
you are grovelling
they are grovelling

Present Perfect
I have grovelled
you have grovelled
he/she/it has grovelled
we have grovelled
you have grovelled
they have grovelled

Past Continuous
I was grovelling
you were grovelling
he/she/it was grovelling
we were grovelling
you were grovelling
they were grovelling

Past Perfect
I had grovelled
you had grovelled
he/she/it had grovelled
we had grovelled
you had grovelled
they had grovelled

Future
I will grovel
you will grovel
he/she/it will grovel
we will grovel
you will grovel
they will grovel

Future Perfect
I will have grovelled
you will have grovelled
he/she/it will have grovelled
we will have grovelled
you will have grovelled
they will have grovelled

Future Continuous
I will be grovelling
you will be grovelling
he/she/it will be grovelling
we will be grovelling
you will be grovelling
they will be grovelling

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been grovelling
you have been grovelling
he/she/it has been grovelling
we have been grovelling
you have been grovelling
they have been grovelling

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been grovelling
you will have been grovelling
he/she/it will have been grovelling
we will have been grovelling
you will have been grovelling
they will have been grovelling

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been grovelling
you had been grovelling
he/she/it had been grovelling
we had been grovelling
you had been grovelling
they had been grovelling

Conditional
I would grovel
you would grovel
he/she/it would grovel
we would grovel
you would grovel
they would grovel

Past Conditional
I would have grovelled
you would have grovelled
he/she/it would have grovelled
we would have grovelled
you would have grovelled
they would have grovelled

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Verb

grovel - show submission or fear

fawn, cringe, cower, crawl, creep

bend, flex - form a curve; "The stick does not bend"

grovel

verb

1. humble yourself, creep, crawl, flatter, fawn, pander, cower, toady, kowtow, brown-nose (taboo slang), bow and scrape, kiss ass (taboo slang), lick someone's boots, lick someone's arse (taboo slang), demean yourself, abase yourself I refuse to grovel to anybody.
humble yourself be proud, intimidate, hold your head high, domineer

2. crawl, crouch, go on hands and knees, go on all fours We grovelled around on our knees, hunting for the key.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

grovel

verb

To support slavishly every opinion or suggestion of a superior:

bootlick, cringe, fawn, kowtow, slaver, toady, truckle.

Informal: apple-polish, brownnose, cotton.

Slang: suck up.

Idioms: curry favor, dance attendance, kiss someone's feet, lick someone's boots.

Translations

يَتَذَلَّل أمام رؤسائِه

plazit se

krybeligge på maven for

kriechen

arrastrarse

madellamielistellänöyristelläollarähmällään

aplatir

skríîa fyrir e-m

strisciare umiliarsi

šliaužiotižemintis

zemoties

legge seg helt flat for

kendini alçaltmak

卑躬屈膝

grovel

[ˈgrɒvl] VI (lit, fig) → arrastrarse (to ante)

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

grovel

[ˈgrɒv^əl] vi

(= behave obsequiously) → ramper
to grovel before sb → ramper devant qn
to grovel to sb → ramper devant qn

(= crawl) → ramper

grovel

vi → kriechen; to grovel at somebody’s feet → vor jdm kriechen; (dog) → sich um jdn herumdrücken; to grovel to or before somebody (fig) → vor jdm kriechen; (in apology) → vor jdm zu Kreuze kriechen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

grovel

[ˈgrɒvl] vi (also) (fig) to grovel to or before sb → strisciare di fronte a qn

grovel

(ˈgrovl) – past tense, past participle ˈgrovelled , (American) ˈgroveled – verb

to make oneself (too) humble. He grovelled before his leader.

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

Either to be a hero or to grovel in the mud--there was nothing between.

View in context

Now he was seized with a desire to do horrible, sordid things; he wanted to roll himself in gutters; his whole being yearned for beastliness; he wanted to grovel.

View in context

Look at him now; look at him grovel. He knows what I am saying, and he knows it's the truth.

View in context

But the love which accepts the meanest crumbs of comfort that can be thrown to it--which fawns and grovels and deliberately deceives itself, in its own intensely selfish interests--was the love that burned in Francine's breast.

View in context

There in the dusk in the spring evening I crawled along the black ground to her feet and groveled be- fore her.

View in context

I also take offence at the advertising on radio and television which tells people that no more will they have to "grovel under stairs or sink units" reading is done automatically.

What's so smart about meters? LETTERS

"I'm not going to stoop and apologize and grovel and feel bad about it.

Rachel Dolezal Now Unemployed, Close To Losing Home

MAKING THE WEST INDIES "GROVEL" As he later went on to prove with his gloriously entertaining brand of commentary, Greig had a way with words.