Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To reach about uncertainly; feel one's way.
  • intransitive verb To search blindly or uncertainly.
  • intransitive verb To make (one's way) by reaching about uncertainly.
  • intransitive verb Slang To handle or fondle for sexual pleasure.
  • noun The act or an instance of groping.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To seize or touch with or as if with the hands; grasp in any way; feel; perceive.
  • To search out by the sense of touch alone; find or ascertain by feeling about with the hands, as in the dark or when blind.
  • To use the hands; handle.
  • To feel about with the hands in search of something, as in the dark or as a blind person; feel one's way in darkness or obscurity; hence, to attempt anything blindly or tentatively.
  • Specifically To feel for fish under the bank of a brook. I. Walton. See gropple.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To search out by feeling in the dark.
  • transitive verb obsolete To examine; to test; to sound.
  • intransitive verb obsolete To feel with or use the hands; to handle.
  • intransitive verb To search or attempt to find something in the dark, or, as a blind person, by feeling; to move about hesitatingly, as in darkness or obscurity; to feel one's way, as with the hands, when one can not see.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb obsolete To feel with or use the hands; to handle.
  • verb To search or attempt to find something in the dark, or, as a blind person, by feeling; to move about hesitatingly, as in darkness or obscurity; to feel one's way, as with the hands, when one can not see.
  • verb To touch (another person) closely and (especially) sexually
  • verb obsolete To examine; to test; to sound.
  • noun informal An act of groping, especially sexually.
  • noun obsolete an iron fitting of a medieval cart wheel

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the act of groping; and instance of groping
  • verb fondle for sexual pleasure
  • verb search blindly or uncertainly
  • verb feel about uncertainly or blindly

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English gropen, from Old English grāpian.]

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Examples

  • But let me make one comment about what's just happened in response to what you called grope-gate, Larry.

    CNN Transcript Oct 7, 2003 2003

  • a socialite's life † heidi montag and spencer pratt were busy spreading a message of 'grope' - ugh! popsugar † mischa barton is Friday October 24 2008 @ 7: 55AM

    popbytes 2008

  • a socialite's life † heidi montag and spencer pratt were busy spreading a message of 'grope' - ugh! popsugar † mischa barton is Friday October 24 2008 @ 7: 55AM

    popbytes 2008

  • a socialite's life † heidi montag and spencer pratt were busy spreading a message of 'grope' - ugh! popsugar † mischa barton is Friday October 24 2008 @ 7: 55AM

    popbytes 2008

  • It quickly necessitated figuring out how to "grope" myself discretely in public!

    Walking the walk, talking the talk: Security of mind 2007

  • It quickly necessitated figuring out how to "grope" myself discretely in public!

    Walking the walk, talking the talk: Security of mind 2007

  • Later in his car while laughing about the incident, I felt safe to "grope" myself and repay my debt.

    Walking the walk, talking the talk: Security of mind 2007

  • Later in his car while laughing about the incident, I felt safe to "grope" myself and repay my debt.

    Walking the walk, talking the talk: Security of mind 2007

  • The entire chain of events leading up to the "grope" was done with some humor involved.

    SF Tidbits for 9/4/06 2006

  • Thus, in a whole imbroglio of Capabilities, we go stupidly groping about, to grope which is ours, and often clutch the wrong one: in this mad work must several years of our small term be spent, till the purblind Youth, by practice, acquire notions of distance, and become a seeing Man.

    Sartor Resartus, and On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History Thomas Carlyle 1838

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