grovel

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

From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2025

“I hope you're proud, how you would grovel in submission.”

From Salon ● Dec. 2, 2024

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

And then Henry begins to grovel for his life.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

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

It is not Woman leaves us to our night,   But our brute earth that grovels from her sun.

From The Complete Poetical Works of James Russell Lowell by James Russell Lowell

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2025

“Blonde” wants you to believe that one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons was a haunted, hated sad sack who cried, screamed and groveled her way through film history.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 23, 2022

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

So you can see why there’s a widespread sense of disgust at the way leaders have groveled before Jeff Bezos.

From Slate ● Nov. 15, 2018

He cringed and groveled and chattered with terror, but no amount of bad treatment could drive him away.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

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

As per Margaret Hartmann with New York Magazine's Intelligencer, the gift is "peak spineless groveling."

From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2025

Portnoy’s deal-with-it stance, and the groveling he expected and received from even his former workers, reminded me of another mogul who recently came into possession of a media property of much fascination: Elon Musk.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2023

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

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

That there would be a tomorrow, that come morning, he would try and fix things, do a bit of groveling to Daniel and a lot of groveling to Clara.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

When she was called by a grovelling Liam Gallagher apologising, Lynne Brine wondered what on earth was going on.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2025

"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

And there is Orson Welles as Falstaff, and Falstaff is grovelling for Henry V. He’s banished.

From The New Yorker ● Oct. 28, 2019

Mustapha Mond tried to make him get up; but Bernard persisted in his grovelling; the stream of words poured out inexhaustibly.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley