- any large marine serranid fish of the genus Epinephelus and related genera, of warm and tropical seas
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
grop•er1
(grō′pər),USA pronunciation n.
grop•er2 (grō′pər),USA pronunciation n.
- a person or thing that gropes.
- grope + -er1 1560–70
grop•er2 (grō′pər),USA pronunciation n.
- Biology, Fisha large, purplish food fish, Achoerodus gouldii, inhabiting waters off Australia and New Zealand, characterized by an enormous gape.
- apparently alteration of grouper1, perh. by association with grope
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
groper /ˈɡrəʊpə/, grouper n ( pl -er, -ers)
grope /groʊp/USA pronunciation
v., groped, grop•ing, n.
v.
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026v.
- to feel about with the hands;
feel one's way hesitantly: [no object]to grope around in the darkness.[~ + object]I groped my way up the dark stairs. - to search uncertainly:[~ + for]were groping for an answer to the latest crisis.
- [~ + object][Slang.]to touch or handle (someone) sexually;
fondle.
n. [countable]
- an act or instance of groping.
grope
(grōp),USA pronunciation v., groped, grop•ing, n.
v.i.
v.t.
n.
v.i.
- to feel about with the hands;
feel one's way:I had to grope around in the darkness before I found the light switch. - to search blindly or uncertainly:He seemed to be groping for an answer to the question.
v.t.
- to seek by or as if by groping:to grope one's way up the dark stairs.
- to touch or handle (someone) for sexual pleasure.
n.
- an act or instance of groping.
- Slang Termsan act or instance of sexually fondling another person.
- bef. 900; Middle English gropien,, Old English grāpian, derivative of grāp grasp; akin to gripe, grasp
- 1. fumble, probe, fish.
'groper' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):