Word · Frequency #21873
grovel
匍匐；卑躬屈膝
show submission or fear, especially by crawling or lying down
- 1.
To be prone on the ground.
趴在地上
- 2.
To crawl.
爬行
- 3.
To abase oneself before another person.
在他人面前卑躬屈膝
- 4.
To be slavishly nice to someone or apologize in the hope of securing something.
卑躬屈膝地讨好或道歉以期获得某物
- 5.
To take pleasure in mundane activities.
乐于从事平凡的活动
趴在地上；爬行；在他人面前卑躬屈膝；卑躬屈膝地讨好或道歉以期获得某物；乐于从事平凡的活动
In use
He grovelled before the boss to keep his job.
She grovels and apologizes too much whenever she makes a mistake.
The dog grovelled on the floor when it heard the angry shouting.
grovel before sb/sth
常表示在权势者面前极度顺从。
The servant grovelled before the king.
仆人在国王面前卑躬屈膝。
grovel to sb
多用于请求原谅或恩惠。
He grovelled to his boss for the mistake.
他因错误向老板卑躬屈膝地道歉。
grovel at sb's feet
字面或比喻，表示极度卑微。
She was grovelling at his feet, begging for mercy.
Connections
Collocations
- grovel before someone
- 在某人面前卑躬屈膝
- He grovelled before the king, begging for mercy.他在国王面前卑躬屈膝，乞求宽恕。
- grovel at someone's feet
- 趴在某人脚下乞求
- She grovelled at his feet, desperate to be forgiven.她趴在他脚下，拼命想得到原谅。
- grovel for forgiveness
- 低声下气地乞求原谅
- I refuse to grovel for forgiveness.我拒绝低声下气地乞求原谅。
- grovel on the ground
- 趴在地上
- The soldiers grovelled on the ground to avoid the gunfire.士兵们趴在地上躲避炮火。
- grovel in apology
- 卑躬屈膝地道歉
- He grovelled in apology after forgetting their anniversary.他忘了他们的纪念日，卑躬屈膝地道歉。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
联想记忆：grove（小树林）+ l，想象自己趴在小树林里爬行乞求，即 grovel（匍匐；卑躬屈膝）。
Context & Register
语域：mixed 常见场景：日常批评、公开道歉、文学或历史描写 该词表示“卑躬屈膝地讨好/道歉”时，通常带贬义，多用于日常口语、批评性评论或新闻报道；在较正式的书面或文学语境中，也可指“匍匐/趴在地上”。整体语域偏向混合，需根据搭配和语境判断。
Pronunciation & Spelling
按英式发音，grovel /ˈɡrɒvəl/ 与 novel /ˈnɒvəl/ 押韵。shovel /ˈʃʌvəl/、snivel /ˈsnɪvəl/、travel /ˈtrævəl/、marvel /ˈmɑːvəl/、navel /ˈneɪvəl/ 虽都以 -vel 结尾，但元音不同，不押韵。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.