wormed

past tense of worm
1
as in encroached
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits neighborhoods worming into lands reserved for wildlife

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in infiltrated
to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way over a period of several years, the undercover agent was able to worm his way into the drug kingpin's confidence

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in crept
to move slowly with the body close to the ground the cat silently wormed along the ground as it snuck up on the bird

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wormed
Verb
  • The research team used test tube experiments and found that oxalic acid caused tiny amount of gadolinium to precipitate from the contrast agent and form nanoparticles, which infiltrated cells of different organs.
    John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Over the last few weeks, LeBron James‘ cultural influence reached another sphere outside of sports when his name and likeness infiltrated the music world.
    Regina Cho, VIBE.com, 1 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Monday’s win was perhaps a start to the Wild playing more like themselves, but Gustavsson did feel some recent bad habits crept into their game.
    Michael Russo, The Athletic, 24 Dec. 2024
  • Those words came from a question asking Campbell what his message to the team was, amid a week when doubt crept in.
    Colton Pouncy, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Sevilla snuck in between Tchouameni and Asencio, with eventual scorer Dodi Lukebakio taking advantage of a mistake from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who doesn’t usually make them.
    Mario Cortegana, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Tears of joy flowed when a daughter snuck home early for Christmas to surprise her mom after two years of traveling.
    Terry Baddoo, USA TODAY, 22 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until the cake springs back slightly when gently tapped in the center or a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
    Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Bake, uncovered, until dark golden brown and a thermometer inserted near center registers 190°F, 10 to 15 minutes.
    Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The city slipped into a recession, and things got harder.
    Dodai Stewart, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
  • The movie slipped to fifth, third, and sixth ranks in the following weeks.
    Sweta Kaushal, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wormed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wormed. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on wormed

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!