grovel

He has no use for expertise or talent; he prefers people who will grovel before him.

From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2026

Absolutely, but Colin is eager to please and genuinely loves to grovel.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2025

On Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul made Suozzi drive to Albany to all but grovel for her support.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 8, 2023

Elrond isn’t the only elf who has to grovel among the rabble in this episode.

From New York Times ● Sep. 23, 2022

I grovel for mercy — sometimes I manage real tears.

From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz

Instead of mandating, directing, or using the word “shall,” the code grovels before its own authors, flattering them with meek suggestions that justices “should,” “should not” and might “endeavor to” act in certain ways.

From Salon ● Nov. 24, 2023

It’s easy for an ego like his to grow wings and fly when, even as a washed-up quarterback, an NFL coach grovels for your services.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 9, 2022

Kichijiro, who enters grunting and twitching, as if in homage to Toshiro Mifune, and grovels at the priest’s feet, also seems on hand as much for comic relief as for guidance.

From New York Times ● Dec. 22, 2016

"To Entertain a Small Hope That Might Allay My Heartache" features a letter in which Kemal grovels, still in its envelope.

From New York Times ● Oct. 4, 2012

Trofim grovels with gratitude at his aunt’s feet.

From Russian Fairy Tales A Choice Collection of Muscovite Folk-lore by William Ralston Shedden Ralston

For exactly a quarter of a century, I’ve grasped and groveled and guessed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2025

Franchises, of course, have always pandered — it’s in their D.N.A. — but rarely has one groveled quite so thirstily for fan approval.

From New York Times ● Jan. 13, 2022

He groveled, and then hedged, then tried to walk it all back with the absurdly laughable claim that he confused the word “would” for “wouldn’t”.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 22, 2018

Pick meeee: Cities including Boston, Ottawa, New York, and Tucson have groveled at Jeff Bezos’ feet in their applications to host Amazon’s second headquarters that were due on Thursday.

From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2017

But Tom got into a book, crawled and groveled between the covers, tunneled like a mole among the thoughts, and came up with the book all over his face and hands.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

It quotes: "Even if he grovelled to us on his knees, it wouldn't be enough."

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

There’s not an artist out there who hasn’t grovelled on the path to greatness, and getting through school isn’t an impediment to a musical career but a platform to build one on.

From The Guardian ● May 21, 2017

"I really didn't mean to imply Becky had failed in any way," she later grovelled.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 4, 2012

Less than three months after their foolish decision, Coke’s bosses grovelled to customers and reintroduced classic Coke.

From Economist ● Mar. 29, 2012

Then crawling to Frodo’s feet he grovelled before him, whispering hoarsely: a shudder ran over him, as if the words shook his very bones with fear.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

They want illiterate, groveling serfs, who live in fear and don’t stick around too long.

From Salon ● Nov. 23, 2025

In the heartstopping series finale of “Succession” on Sunday night, striving Midwesterner Tom Wambsgans was named chief executive of Waystar Royco, completing his transformation from groveling buffoon to business titan.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2023

FTX is in dire straits, and SBF is reduced to groveling for investors to give the firm a big cash infusion.

From Slate ● Nov. 10, 2022

Within two days, Sweet produced a groveling apology, in which he indicted himself for a “ham-fisted attempt at provocation” that “alienated some of my Black colleagues and friends” and for which he was “deeply sorry.”

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 2, 2022

If she were bound for the gallows, she would most certainly not spend the last moments of her life in groveling submission.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

She told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme there appeared to be an understanding that everything would move on following Schofield's "grovelling apology".

From BBC ● May 29, 2023

"Trying to run around with your hand outstretched, grovelling, begging for money, is pointless," Putin said in a televised address to Russia's political, military and business elite.

From Reuters ● Feb. 21, 2023

But its immediate collapse ended hopes of those new sources of income and forced the Glazers and FSG to make grovelling apologies to fans.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 27, 2022

This he said fatherly in his love, kissing my hands and grovelling at my feet; and with tears he named me, not daughter, but lady.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2019

‘Mercy, lord!’ whined Wormtongue, grovelling on the ground.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien