grope

/ɡrəʊp/ (bre, ipa) · /ɡrəʊp/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈgrōp/ (ame, mw) · /ɡroʊp/ (ame, ipa)

grope — verb

  • gropepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • gropeshe / she / it
  • gropedpast simple
  • groping-ing form

1. to move your hands around in darkness or through blocked space, trying to locate

1.動詞及物 / 不及物C1
釋義

to move your hands around in darkness or through blocked space, trying to locate something or get forward by touch.

例句

Nala groped for the lamp after the storm cut the power.

grope for + object

The child groped under the sofa for the missing toy car.

同義詞
  • feel around

    close in meaning, but plainer and less tense than grope

  • fumble

    focuses on clumsy hand movement more than searching by touch

  • search

    broader and does not necessarily involve using the hands in darkness

反義詞
  • find

    to locate something successfully rather than searching uncertainly

文法句型

grope for + noun phrase

grope your way + adverb/preposition

grope around/in/through + place

用法筆記

Often followed by 'for' when the speaker is trying to locate an object. In 'grope your way', the object is the route rather than the thing being searched for.

常見錯誤

❌Mina groped to the light switch in the dark.
✅Mina groped for the light switch in the dark.
💡use 'for' to name the object you are trying to find.
❌We groped our hands down the hallway.
✅We groped our way down the hallway.
💡this verb describes searching by touch, not simply moving your hands.

2. to put your hands on another person's body for sexual excitement, especially wit

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

to put your hands on another person's body for sexual excitement, especially without that person's consent.

例句

A stranger tried to grope Saira on the crowded night bus.

grope + person

Christopher reported that a fan groped him near the stage door.

同義詞
  • paw

    more informal and suggests rough, repeated touching

  • molest

    more formal and often used in legal or official contexts

  • fondle

    can be consensual, so it does not always imply wrongdoing

反義詞

文法句型

grope + person

grope + body part

be groped by + person

用法筆記

Usually used for unwanted sexual touching and often appears in reports of misconduct. The object is the person being touched, though a body part can be named for extra detail.

常見錯誤

❌A man groped at her on the bus.
✅A man groped her on the bus.
💡use a direct object for the person who is touched.
❌The drunk man groped for the woman on the dance floor.
✅The drunk man groped the woman on the dance floor.
💡'for' belongs to the searching sense, not this sexual-touch sense.

grope — noun