creepy-crawly

noun

informal

: an unpleasant worm, insect, or spider

a basement full of creepy-crawlies

Examples of creepy-crawly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In what appears to be a dream, a creepy-crawly form is seen moving under the skin of Jakub’s face, its pedipalps first making an abortive attempt to exit via his nostrils before a sizeable spider emerges from his mouth. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 2024

The show starts with a full-on World War II flashback, complete with a crashing battleship and some number of creepy-crawly creatures. —Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Dec. 2023

The air conditioning system is out of date, the bathrooms are cramped, and the occasional creepy-crawly has been known to drop by unannounced. —Paul Schwartzman, Washington Post, 11 Dec. 2023

David Hu, a Georgia Institute of Technology engineering professor focused on fire ant raft constructions during flooding, recently likened the insects to neurons in one big, creepy-crawly brain while speaking to NPR on the subject. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 Nov. 2023

The creepy-crawly contest is at the center of the annual Woolly Worm Festival, a fiercely popular local event that’s been going on for nearly half a century. —Corey Buhay, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Oct. 2023

The black creepy-crawly stands out against the orange to spook visitors of all ages. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Sep. 2023

The creepy-crawly saga started in January 2021, when the woman began suffering from abdominal pain, diarrhea, night sweats and a dry cough, according to a statement from the Australian National University. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Aug. 2023

The influence of Linda Blair’s famous spider walk from The Exorcist can be seen in some of the movement, and the title is a tip-off to the creepy-crawly creatures the house’s clandestine resident has been studying to hone its lethality. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 July 2023