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PlainSpell

grope

/ɡɹoʊp/verb, noun

grope is spelled G-R-O-P-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,680th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, grope means “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…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in grope?

Letters5: G-R-O-P-E
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writingabout once in every 2 million words; the 42,680th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is grope?

Grope appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,680th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce grope?

  • UK /ɡɹəʊp/
  • US /ɡɹoʊp/

Grope has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-grope.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with grope?

The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as grope from its last stressed vowel (/oʊp/):

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of grope

  • gropes present, singular, he/she/it, plural
  • groping participle, present
  • groped participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does grope mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

verb

  1. 1

    obsoleteTo feel with or use the hands; to handle.

  2. 2

    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.

    a. 1812. Joseph Stevens Buckminster, sermon to grope about a little longer among the miseries and sensualities of a worldly life

  3. 3

    To touch (another person) closely and (especially) sexually.

    The parents found the couple kissing and groping.

  4. 4

    To intentionally and inappropriately touch or rub against another person, in such a manner as to make the contact appear accidental, for the purpose of one's sexual gratification.

    That old man groped that girl on the train!

  5. 5

    obsoleteTo examine; to test; to sound.

    Felix gropeth him, thinking to have a bribe.

noun

  1. 1

    informalAn act of groping, especially sexually.

    The old man tried to get a quick grope of the young lady on the train.

  2. 2

    obsoleteAn iron fitting of a medieval cart wheel.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Grope in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchtâter, tâtonner (obsolete: to feel with or use the hands), tripoter, peloter (to touch closely and sexually)
Germantasten (obsolete: to feel with or use the hands), begrapschen, grapschen (to touch closely and sexually), tappen, herumtasten (to search by feeling)
Portugueseapalpar (obsolete: to feel with or use the hands)
Spanishpalpar (obsolete: to feel with or use the hands), manosear, meter mano (to touch closely and sexually), tantear, buscar a tientas (to search by feeling)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does grope come from?

From Middle English gropien, from Old English grāpian, related to grīpan (whence English gripe); compare also grip.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after grope