Grovel in a Sentence: Meaning, Uses & Examples

Grovel means to humble yourself before someone in order to win forgiveness or favour, and it usually starts from a position of weakness. The verb is intransitive, so it needs a preposition: you grovel to a person or grovel before them. A sentence such as the intern grovelled to the manager shows the pattern.

Grovel at a glance

• Grovel is an intransitive verb meaning to humble oneself abjectly to win forgiveness or favour.
• Its forms are grovels, grovelled or groveled, grovelling or groveling, and the rare noun groveller.
• It nearly always appears with to or before, and sometimes with an adverb such as at someone’s feet.
• The verb carries a note of self-abasement, so it is harsher and more critical than beg or plead.
• British writing doubles the l before a vowel suffix, giving grovelled, while American writing keeps one.

What does grovel mean?

Grovel is an intransitive verb meaning to behave with abject humility toward someone, especially to earn forgiveness or favour. The Cambridge entry for grovel gives the humiliation sense, and a second, older sense describes lying prone. The two are linked by the picture of a body brought low, so abase yourself is the closest single-word paraphrase.

One limitation is worth stating. Grovel is a strong, judgemental word: if a person asks sincerely and once, say apologise or plead instead, because grovel implies repeated self-abasement. It also does not mean to flatter in general, since flattery aims at praise while groveling aims at forgiveness or mercy.

How do you use grovel in a sentence?

The verb needs a preposition before the person, and the choice of preposition fixes the shade of meaning. Use to or before for the person, and at someone’s feet to make the humiliation physical. beg for forgiveness states the request directly, while grovel describes the posture that goes with it.

Grovel in a sentence: examples across contexts

Grovel changes little across registers, but the scene changes a lot. Each sentence below keeps the verb while the setting moves from an office to a history book. crawl back is a related verb that shares the low physical imagery.

Grovel vs fawn and flatter

Grovel, fawn and flatter all describe people pleasing others, and they are not interchangeable. To fawn over someone is to seek affection through praise, to flatter is to aim at admiration, and to grovel is to admit inferiority and beg.

Verdict: choose flatter for harmless praise, fawn for needy admiration, and grovel only when the begging has cost the person their dignity.

Word forms and grammar of grovel

Grovel inflects regularly, and the choice of a single or double l is a spelling question, not a grammar one. The noun grovelling names the behaviour, and the verb stays intransitive in every form.

Common mistakes with grovel

• Incorrect: He grovelled his boss for a day off. Correct: He grovelled to his boss for a day off. Rule: Grovel is intransitive and needs to or before before the person.
• Incorrect: She was grovelled by the whole team. Correct: The whole team grovelled to her. Rule: Intransitive verbs have no passive; the person grovelling is the subject.
• Incorrect: He groveled in British writing. Correct: He grovelled in British writing. Rule: British spelling doubles the l before a vowel suffix.
• Incorrect: Her grovel idea won the prize. Correct: Her novel idea won the prize. Rule: Novel means new or a book; grovel means to humble oneself, and the two share no meaning.
• Incorrect: I grovel that I was wrong. Correct: I grovel before you because I was wrong. Rule: Grovel takes no that-clause; add a preposition and a reason.

Practice using grovel

Work through the six items, then check the reasoning rather than only the answer.

1. Fill the gap: After the mistake, he telephoned to ______ to the customer.
2. Choose the better word: The defendant would rather go to prison than (grovel / fawn) to the judge for mercy.
3. Correct the error: The waiter grovelled the angry diner.
4. Build a sentence: use grovel before about an employee who broke a rule.
5. Spot the register: which fits a novel — He grovelled at her feet, or He said sorry loads.
6. Rewrite with the noun: He spent the whole meeting grovelling. Use grovelling.

Answers

1. grovel — the verb is intransitive and to introduces the customer.
2. grovel — the defendant is begging for mercy, while fawn would seek affection.
3. The waiter grovelled to the angry diner — intransitive verbs need a preposition.
4. Model answer: The employee had to grovel before the board after breaking the safety rule.
5. He grovelled at her feet — the physical image suits a novel, while the second line is casual.
6. His grovelling lasted the whole meeting — the noun names the behaviour and takes an article.

The bottom line

Use grovel in a sentence when someone abases themselves to win forgiveness or favour, and always give the verb to or before. The two decisions that shape most sentences are that grovel is intransitive and therefore never passive, and that it is far harsher than beg or plead. Where the request is simple and sincere, an apology is the plainer word.

Frequently asked questions about grovel

Is grovel the same as beg?

They overlap but differ in strength. Beg names the request and can be neutral or even sympathetic, as when a child begs for water. Grovel adds the picture of a person lowering themselves, so it criticises the behaviour. A single sincere plea is begging; repeated, undignified pleading to a superior is grovelling.

Why is grovel sometimes spelled groveled?

The difference is regional spelling, not grammar. British and Commonwealth writing doubles the final l before a vowel suffix, giving grovelled and grovelling. American writing keeps a single l, giving groveled and groveling. Both are correct in their own variety, so match the spelling to your audience.

Can a person grovel without speaking?

Yes. Grovel can describe a posture or a manner rather than words, as when an aide grovels before a director through constant flattery and obedience. The verb names the abject behaviour, so a silent person who behaves with exaggerated submission can still be said to grovel.

Is grovel always negative?

Almost always. The verb judges the person doing it, implying a loss of dignity, so a writer uses it to criticise rather than to praise. It can be used lightly about a friend being overly apologetic, but even then it carries a mild rebuke. It never means simply to apologise well.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had to grovel for forgiveness or mercy? To grovel means to show excessive humility or submission, often to the point of debasing oneself in front of someone else.

This behavior is often seen as a sign of extreme remorse or desperation, and can involve pleading or begging for forgiveness in a very submissive manner.

7 Examples Of Grovel Used In a Sentence For Kids

• Grovel means to beg for forgiveness.
• Sometimes, when we make a mistake, we may need to grovel and say sorry.
• It’s important to be honest and not grovel to get what we want.
• Let’s never make someone feel like they have to grovel to be our friend.
• When we do something wrong, it’s best to grovel and make things right.
• Being kind and helpful is better than having to grovel for forgiveness.
• Remember, it’s never nice to make someone grovel just to feel important.

14 Sentences with Grovel Examples

1. Feeling stressed about the upcoming exams, Ravi decided to grovel before his professor to ask for an extension on his assignment.
2. Isha had forgotten her textbook in the hostel and had to grovel before her friend to lend her notes for the lecture.
3. Groveling in front of the librarian, Aarav pleaded for forgiveness after returning the book late.
4. At the canteen, Riya had to grovel in front of the vendor to accept payment through digital wallets as she ran out of cash.
5. After missing several classes, Tanvi had to grovel before the professor to allow her to give a makeup test.
6. Rohan had to grovel in front of the college dean to reinstate his scholarship after failing to maintain his grades.
7. Samir was caught cheating on his final exams and had to grovel before the disciplinary committee to avoid expulsion.
8. Anjali had to grovel before the college administration to grant her permission for an educational trip outside the campus.
9. Ashwin forgot to submit his project on time and had to grovel before his group members to give him another chance.
10. Nisha had a conflict with her roommate and had to grovel before the college dorm supervisor to arrange a room change.
11. Aarush had to grovel before the IT department to fix his laptop, which crashed right before the submission deadline.
12. Prisha had to grovel before the sports coordinator to allow her to join the basketball team even though the tryouts were over.
13. Dhruv had to grovel before the college council to approve his proposal for organizing a charity fundraiser on campus.
14. Reena had to grovel before her group members to take her back in the group project after missing several meetings.

How To Use Grovel in Sentences?

To Grovel means to humble oneself or act in a submissive manner, usually to gain favor or forgiveness from someone in a position of power. When using the word Grovel in a sentence, it is important to consider the context in which it is being used.

Here are some tips on how to use Grovel in a sentence:

1. Make sure that the sentence conveys the idea of someone behaving in a servile or overly submissive way.

Example: “He had to grovel before his boss to keep his job.”

2. Use Grovel to describe someone who is begging or pleading desperately for something they want or need.

Example: “She had to grovel for forgiveness after betraying her friend.”

3. Consider using Grovel in a sentence that shows someone lowering themselves in a demeaning manner.

Example: “The politician had to grovel to the public after his scandal was exposed.”

4. Remember that Grovel is a strong word and should be used in situations where someone is showing extreme humility or submission.

Example: “He was forced to grovel at her feet to prove his loyalty.”

By keeping these tips in mind, you can effectively incorporate the word Grovel into your sentences to convey the desired meaning of extreme humility or submission.

Conclusion

In conclusion, groveling is a form of showing extreme humility or submission through words or actions. This behavior often involves apologizing profusely, asking for forgiveness, or expressing admiration or pleading in a desperate manner. Examples of sentences with grovel include “She had to grovel to her boss after making a serious mistake,” “He hoped his apology would make her stop groveling,” and “The politician was criticized for groveling to the wealthy donors.”

Overall, groveling typically occurs when one feels the need to show submissiveness or seek forgiveness, often in a situation where one has made a mistake or needs to win favor. It is a display of vulnerability and humility that can evoke various responses depending on the context and individuals involved.