I. grope 1 /ɡrəʊp $ ɡroʊp/ BrE AmE verb
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: grapian ]
1 . [intransitive] to try to find something that you cannot see by feeling with your hands
grope for
Ginny groped for her glasses on the bedside table.
grope around
We groped around in the darkness.
2 . [intransitive and transitive] to go somewhere by feeling the way with your hands because you cannot see
grope your way along/across etc
I was groping my way blindly through the trees.
Ally groped steadily towards the door.
3 . grope for something to try hard to find the right words to say or the right solution to a problem but without any real idea of how to do this:
She hesitated, seeming to grope for words.
4 . [transitive] informal to move your hands over someone’s body to get sexual pleasure, especially when they do not want you to do this
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ touch to put your fingers or hand onto someone or something for a very short time:
Don’t touch the iron – it’s hot!
▪ feel to touch something with your fingers in order to find out about it:
Feel how soft this material is.
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I felt his forehead. It was cold.
▪ handle to touch something and pick it up and hold it in your hands:
Children should always wash their hands before handling food.
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The glass was very fragile, and she handled it with great care.
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Please do not handle the merchandise.
▪ finger to touch or handle something with your fingers, especially while you are thinking of other things:
She fingered the heavy necklace around her neck.
▪ rub to move your hand over a surface while pressing it:
Bob rubbed his eyes and yawned.
▪ scratch to rub part of your body with your nails, often because it ITCHES :
The dog kept scratching its ear.
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Bob scratched his head thoughtfully.
▪ tickle to move your fingers lightly over someone’s body in order to make them laugh:
The baby giggled as I tickled him.
▪ grope to touch someone’s body in a sexual way when they do not want to be touched:
The officer was accused of groping several women in his platoon.
II. grope 2 BrE AmE noun [countable usually singular]
informal touching someone’s body to get sexual pleasure, especially when they do not want you to do this