grov ‧ el /ˈɡrɒv ə l $ ˈɡrɑː-, ˈɡrʌ-/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle grovelled , present participle grovelling British English , groveled , groveling American English )
[ Date: 1800-1900 ; Origin: groveling 'lying face downward' (16-19 centuries) , from groof 'on the face' (14-19 centuries) , from Old Norse grufu ]
1 . [intransitive] to praise someone a lot or behave with a lot of respect towards them because you think that they are important and will be able to help you in some way – used to show disapproval SYN crawl
grovel to
I had to really grovel to the bank manager to get a loan.
2 . [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to move along the ground on your hands and knees:
I saw him grovelling in the road for his hat.
—grovelling adjective :
a grovelling apology