GROPE
What does "GROPE" mean?
To feel about uncertainly with the hands, especially in the dark or when searching.
Meanings
- To search blindly or uncertainly by feeling with the hands. She groped for the light switch in the dark hallway.
- To search mentally and hesitantly for something elusive. He groped for the right words to explain. figurative
- To touch someone sexually without their consent. She reported a stranger who groped her on the train.
Did you know?
- 'Grope' is a cousin of 'grip' and 'grasp' — all three grew from one Germanic root about the seeking, seizing hand, though only 'grope' kept the meaning of feeling blindly.
Word origin
From Old English 'grāpian' (to feel, touch, handle), from the same Germanic root as 'grip' and 'grasp' — all involving the seeking, holding hand.
Remember it
GROPE starts like GROOM but ends in a P — the hand reaching out in the dark.
A little poem
Hand out in the dark-
the wall is everywhere and
the switch is nowhere.
haiku
What it teaches
Groping in the dark feels like failure, but it's the honest start of every map of an unknown room.
Quick facts
What does GROPE mean?
To feel about uncertainly with the hands, especially in the dark or when searching.
Is GROPE a valid word?
Yes — GROPE is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is GROPE?
GROPE has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does GROPE come from?
From Old English 'grāpian' (to feel, touch, handle), from the same Germanic root as 'grip' and 'grasp' — all involving the seeking, holding hand.
What can GROPE teach us?
Groping in the dark feels like failure, but it's the honest start of every map of an unknown room.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.