creep

verb \ ˈkrēp \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Examples: creep in a Sentence

Definition of creep

crept play \ˈkrept\; creeping

intransitive verb

1 a : to move along with the body prone and close to the ground

A spider was creeping along the bathroom floor.

b : to move slowly on hands and knees

He crept toward the edge of the cliff.

2 a : to go very slowly

The hours crept by.

b : to go timidly or cautiously so as to escape notice

She crept away from the festive scene.

c : to enter or advance gradually so as to be almost unnoticed

Age creeps up on us.

A note of irritation crept into her voice.

3 : to have the sensation of being covered with creeping things

The thought made his flesh creep.

4 of a plant : to spread or grow over a surface rooting at intervals or clinging with tendrils, stems, or aerial roots

5 a : to slip or gradually shift position

The high temperatures of the jet engine cause the turbine blade to creep.

b : to change shape permanently from prolonged stress or exposure to high temperatures

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Examples of creep in a Sentence

She crept toward the edge of the roof and looked over.
I caught him creeping down the stairs to the kitchen.
She crept into bed next to her sleeping husband.
The hours crept by as we waited for morning.
a train creeping through the town
The price of gasoline has crept back up to three dollars a gallon.
A few mistakes crept in during the last revision of the paper.
new words creeping into the language

Recent Examples of creep from the Web

But the European contribution has been creeping up slowly in recent years, from 1.42 percent of their economies in 2015 to 1.46 percent in 2017.

— gregory korte, USA TODAY, "President Trump blasts NATO allies ahead of trip, says contribution on defense not acceptable," 9 July 2018
Dwell times—the number of seconds that a train spends at a station—had been creeping up.

— william finnegan, The New Yorker, "Can Andy Byford Save the Subways?," 2 July 2018
Heights Capital Partners’ South Broad Street project joins a growing list of new developments that have been creeping down Philadelphia’s most prominent corridor in recent years.

— caitlin mccabe, Philly.com, "NYC developer planning $2 million townhomes on South Broad and Fitzwater Streets," 22 June 2018
In what seemed to be a routine league encounter, Arsenal had romped to a 4-0 lead over lowly Newcastle after just 26 minutes, but complacency crept in.

— SI.com, "6 Teams That Had Victory Snatched From Them at the Death," 18 June 2018
But that changes as time goes on and realities of adulthood creep in.

— refinery29.com, "Why Miranda Is The Best Sex & The City Character — Not Carrie," 6 June 2018
Cornist lives minutes away from the new BART line, which travels in the median of Highway 4, where traffic creeps in the morning and evening and sometimes in between.

— michael cabanatuan, San Francisco Chronicle, "What’s that smell? It’s a clean train car on BART’s new line," 25 May 2018
The price of oil has been creeping up since last summer, boosted in part by strong global consumption, which expanded by 1.6% in 2017.

— The Economist, "Oil," 17 May 2018
Slowly, the average number of claims has been creeping up.

— glenn kessler, BostonGlobe.com, "Report: President Trump has made 3,001 false or misleading claims so far," 2 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'creep.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of creep

Middle English crepen, from Old English crēopan; akin to Old Norse krjūpa to creep

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

creep Synonyms

Phrases

drag one's feet (also drag one's heels), drop behind, fall behind, hang fire, mark time, take one's time;

creep

noun

Definition of creep

1 : a movement of or like creeping

traffic moving at a creep

2 : a distressing sensation like that caused by the creeping of insects over one's flesh; especially : a feeling of apprehension or horror —usually used in plural with the