crawled; crawling; crawls
Definition of crawl
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: to move on one's hands and knees
The baby crawled toward her mother.
b
: to move slowly in a prone position without or as if without the use of limbs
The snake crawled into its hole. The soldiers crawled forward on their bellies.
2
: to move or progress slowly or laboriously
traffic crawling along at 10 miles an hour
3
: to advance by guile or servility
crawling into favor by toadying to his boss
4
: to spread by extending stems or tendrils
a crawling vine
5a
: to be alive or swarming with or as if with creeping things
a kitchen crawling with ants
b
: to have the sensation of insects creeping over one
the story made her flesh crawl
6
: to fail to stay evenly spread
—used of paint, varnish, or glaze
1
: to move upon in or as if in a creeping manner
all the creatures that crawl the earth
2
: to reprove harshly
they got no good right to crawl me for what I wrote— Marjorie K. Rawlings
crawl
nounDefinition of crawl (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: the act or action of crawling
b
: slow or laborious progress
c
chiefly British
: a going from one pub to another
2
: a fast swimming stroke executed in a prone position with alternating overarm strokes and a flutter kick
3
: lettering that moves vertically or horizontally across a television or motion-picture screen to give information (such as performer credits or news bulletins)
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for crawl
The first known use of crawl was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century