crouched; crouching; crouches
Synonyms of crouchnext

intransitive verb

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
2
: to bend or bow servilely : cringe
3
: to stand at a low height
Cottages crouched along the river.

transitive verb

: 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
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.
The young defender then crouched down and touched the ball with both hands, stopping it on the edge of the six-yard box. Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026 Jinsu Elhance, a geospatial data scientist with SPUN, crouched to hammer the 7-inch-long metal cylinder into the soil. Quanta Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026 When The Times connected with Reyes, she was crouched down backstage at the Lovinger Theatre at Lehman College in the Bronx. Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026 Jones’ wife Marie came out to the mound for the first pitch with daughters Jami and Staci, who threw the ball to Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman crouched behind the plate. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for crouch

Word History

Etymology

Middle English

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of crouch was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Crouch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crouch. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

crouch

verb
: to stoop or bend low with the arms and legs close to the body
crouch noun

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