What does grovel mean?
Word: Grovel
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Grovel means to behave in an over-humble way towards someone in order to win their favour or forgiveness.
How do you spell grovel?
Syllables: grov - el
Tricky part: The base word has one l, but British English doubles it before ed and ing: grovelled, grovelling. That doubling is where marks are lost.
Watch out for: grovell, grovling
Memory tip: Treat the l as a rule of two: when a suffix arrives, a second l joins in.
Grovel in a sentence
Example 1: The shop assistant did not need to grovel; a plain apology was enough.
Example 2: Nobody should have to grovel for a fair mark.
Example 3: Ravi was grovelling to his sister all morning because he wanted a lift to the station.
Fun Fact
Grovel is a back-formation. English first had grovelling, an adverb meaning face down, and the shorter verb was made from it later.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Although Kabir had missed the rehearsal, he saw no need to grovle before the club secretary, so he simply said sorry.
a) rehearsal
b) grovle
c) simply
d) secretary
Show answer
b) grovle. The e comes before the l in this word.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
grovvel
a) o
b) l
c) v
d) r
Show answer
c) v. The consonant in the middle stays single.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word grovel as used in the sentence:
Arjun apologised once, but he refused to grovel to the team captain to win back his place.
a) kowtow
b) complain
c) argue
d) boast
Show answer
a) kowtow. To kowtow is to be far too humble to someone in power.
Spell-o-Spell
Read the four words. Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. apolagise 2. humillity 3. grovel 4. flatery
a) to act far too meekly in hope of being forgiven
b) to say that you are sorry for a mistake
c) praise that is more than a person deserves
d) the quality of not thinking too highly of yourself
Show answer
a) to act far too meekly in hope of being forgiven. The spellings to fix are apologise (o after the l), humility (one l) and flattery (double t).
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which behaviour best fits the word grovel?
a) begging a coach again and again for a chance
b) asking a coach one polite question
c) telling a coach about a change of plan
d) thanking a coach after the match
Show answer
a) begging a coach again and again for a chance
2. Someone says, 'There is no need to grovel.' What do they most likely want?
a) a longer and more detailed apology
b) an explanation in front of everyone
c) a simple apology and nothing more
d) a written letter to the whole class
Show answer
c) a simple apology and nothing more
