crouched; crouching; crouches
1
a
: to lower the body stance especially by bending the legs
The sprinter crouched and was ready to go.
b
: to lie close to the ground with the legs bent
… a pair of cats, crouching on the brink of a fight.—
Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley2
: to bend or bow servilely : cringe
3
: to stand at a low height
Cottages crouched along the river.
: to bow especially in humility or fear : bend
The dog crouched its head.
crouch
noun
Examples of crouch in a Sentence
She crouched down, trying to get a closer look at the spider.
The lion crouched in the tall grass, waiting to attack the gazelle.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sam Walsh, an osteoarcheologist from the University of Lancashire, was crouched over the remains, preparing to remove them for study.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
One suspect was promptly stopped and later released, but Woods crouched behind a vehicle and tossed something underneath, police said.
—Boston Herald Staff, Boston Herald, 23 Nov. 2025
An officer then gets out of the vehicle, crouches down, and beckons to the dog, who had once again meandered to the center of the road.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 14 Nov. 2025
After a brief struggle for traction, the robot regained control by crouching slightly, mimicking a human posture to exert force.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crouch
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
One suspect was promptly stopped and later released, but Woods crouched behind a vehicle and tossed something underneath, police said.
—Boston Herald Staff, Boston Herald, 23 Nov. 2025
An officer then gets out of the vehicle, crouches down, and beckons to the dog, who had once again meandered to the center of the road.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 14 Nov. 2025
After a brief struggle for traction, the robot regained control by crouching slightly, mimicking a human posture to exert force.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crouch
Cite this Entry
“Crouch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crouch. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share