Dictionary

grovel en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈɡrɒvəl/
• /ˈɡrʌvəl/

Etymology

From Middle English *grovelen, from Old Norse grufla, grœfla (“to grovel”), from Proto-Germanic *grubilōną (“to dig, delve into”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ‑ (“to dig, scrape, scrabble, scratch”); akin to Old Norse á grufu (“on one's belly”) ( > Old Norse grúfa (“to lie face down, grovel”)). Cognate with Scots grovel, gruvil (“to grovel”), German grübeln (“to meditate, ponder”), Norwegian Nynorsk gruvla (“to grovel”). Compare also West Frisian groebeltsje (“to make a mess, skip school, skive”), Dutch grobbelen (“to grope, root, grub”).

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To be prone on the ground.
2. (intransitive) To crawl.
   • In the tube station, the old ones who were on the way out / Would dribble and vomit and grovel and shout 1985, Shane MacGowan, “The Old Main Drag”, in Rum Sodomy & the Lash, performed by The Pogues:
3. (intransitive) To abase oneself before another person.
   • She refused to grovel in front of the bully, standing her ground.
4. (intransitive) To be slavishly nice to someone or apologize in the hope of securing something.
   • He had to grovel before his boss after missing the important meeting.
   • He hated to grovel, but he knew it was the only way to save his job.
5. (intransitive) To take pleasure in mundane activities.

Forms

Deriveds

grovelsome · groveler · grovelingly · grovellingly · groveller

Translations (69)

fi ryömiä (to crawl) · mi whakapāpaku (to abase oneself) · tr sürünmek (to crawl) · cs lízat paty (to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something) · bg подмазвам се (to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something) · ca arrossegar (to crawl) · cs plazit se (to abase oneself) · cs plazit se (to crawl) · cs ponižovat se (to abase oneself) · fi nöyristellä (to abase oneself) · da kravle (to crawl) · ru пресмыка́ться (to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something) · bg лежа по очи (to be prone on the ground) · it ingraziarsi (to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something) · fi olla rähmällään (to be prone on the ground) · it giacere bocconi (to be prone on the ground) · gl prostrarse (to be prone on the ground) · gl humillarse (to abase oneself) · sh gmizati (to crawl) · bg раболепнича (to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something) · ru пресмыка́ться (to abase oneself) · az sürünmək (to abase oneself) · bg пълзя (to crawl) · de katzbuckeln (to abase oneself) · tr sürünmek (to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something) · de kriechen (to crawl) · mi tāpapa (to be prone on the ground) · ru по́лзать (to crawl) · fi madella (to abase oneself) · it grufolarsi (to take pleasure in mundane things) · es arrastrarse (to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something) · gl rebaixarse (to abase oneself) · es humillarse (to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something) · fr s'abaisser (to abase oneself) · fi kontata (to crawl) · fr s'aplatir (to abase oneself) · gl prosternarse (to be prone on the ground) · de kriechen (to abase oneself) · it umiliarsi (to abase oneself) · it strisciare (to crawl) · fi mielistellä (to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something) · es humillarse (to abase oneself) · es prostrarse (to be prone on the ground) · nl kruipen (to crawl) · he התרפס (to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something) · ru унижа́ться (to abase oneself) · bg унижавам се (to abase oneself) · sh puzati (to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something) · it abbassarsi (to abase oneself) · sh puzati (to crawl) · tr ayaklarına/dizlerine kapanmak (to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something) · tr sürünmek (to abase oneself) · sh plaziti (to crawl) · fr larbiner (to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something) · de auf dem Bauch rutschen (to abase oneself) · nl kruipen (to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something) · fi olla rähmällään (to abase oneself) · fr ramper (to crawl) · az iməkləmək (to abase oneself) · es postrarse (to be prone on the ground) · az alçalmaq (to abase oneself) · ru лежа́ть ниц (to be prone on the ground) · it giacere prono (to be prone on the ground) · gl abaixarse (to abase oneself) · de schleimen (to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something) · de kriechen (to be slavishly nice in the hope of securing something) · fi rypeä (to take pleasure in mundane things) · da krybe (to crawl) · fi madella (to crawl)