1. To work interminably and without apparent progreSS. Often uSed tranSitively with "over" or "through". "The file Scavenger haS been groveling through the /uSr directorieS for 10 minuteS now." Compare grind and crunch. Emphatic form: "grovel obScenely". 2. To examine minutely or in complete detail. "The compiler grovelS over the entire Source program before beginning to tranSlate it." "I grovelled through all the documentation, but I Still couldn' t find the command I wanted." [Jargon File]