groper
groper Lexical Profile
groper Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person who touches or fondles someone else for sexual pleasure without their consent.
"Commuters reported the serial groper to the transit police at the next station."
Australian Any of several large marine food fishes found in the waters of Australia and New Zealand, particularly the hapuku (Polyprion oxygeneios) and the blue groper (Achoerodus viridis).
"The divers spotted a large blue groper swimming along the rocky coastal reef."
A person who searches blindly or uncertainly by feeling about with their hands.
"Like a groper in a dark room, the investigator searched for any small clue to explain the disappearance."
Word Nuance & Usage
In Australian and New Zealand English, 'groper' is a standard culinary and marine name for several large food fishes, whereas in global English it almost exclusively refers to a perpetrator of unwanted sexual touching.
• Rhymes for groper
Word Origin & Etymology
The agent noun is formed from the verb 'grope' (from Old English 'grapian', meaning to touch or feel with the hands) plus '-er'; the fish sense is a regional variant of 'grouper', adapted from the Portuguese 'garoupa'.