1
as in encroached
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits
water crept slowly over the top of the tub and onto the floor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in lingered
to move or act slowly
that Friday afternoon we were just creeping, waiting for the bell to sound so that we could start the long weekend
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in crawled
to move slowly with the body close to the ground
the kitten crept silently across the floor before suddenly pouncing on the mouse
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in dragged
to move slowly
the class hour seems to creep by
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crept
While a stateside staging guarantees a higher Nielsen rating than a Ryder Cup that unfolds on the other side of the pond, NBC’s deliveries have crept downward in recent years.
—
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Jealousy crept in as viewers wished this had happened to them.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
Negativity has crept back into the conversation.
—Jill Schlesinger, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
In the meantime, floodwaters crept closer and closer to her place.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 18 Sep. 2025
Inflation has crept higher over the past several months in part because tariffs are – slowly – starting to boost prices.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2025
Doubt certainly appears to have crept into the City camp over the past year, which one win in their last four derbies will only feed into.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
The closer her bus crept to the border, the more nervous Sofi grew.
—ProPublica, 13 Sep. 2025
By 2024, the number had crept to 30%.
—Alice Lassman, Time, 8 Sep. 2025
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Jealousy crept in as viewers wished this had happened to them.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
Negativity has crept back into the conversation.
—Jill Schlesinger, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
In the meantime, floodwaters crept closer and closer to her place.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 18 Sep. 2025
Inflation has crept higher over the past several months in part because tariffs are – slowly – starting to boost prices.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2025
Doubt certainly appears to have crept into the City camp over the past year, which one win in their last four derbies will only feed into.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
The closer her bus crept to the border, the more nervous Sofi grew.
—ProPublica, 13 Sep. 2025
By 2024, the number had crept to 30%.
—Alice Lassman, Time, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crept
Verb
-
The ads have now encroached into social media without proper disclosures with many online pharmacies not following the same rules that many pharmaceutical companies follow, a senior White House official said.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
-
From the deadly 2025 Los Angeles fires to the devastating 2019-2020 Australian bushfires and the 2018 wildfire in Athens, Greece, flames have increasingly encroached upon human settlements, claiming lives and livelihoods.—
Seyd Teymoor Seydi,
The Conversation,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
An unseasonably strong low-pressure system that lingered off the Southern California coast all week is now sliding inland, funneling moisture and atmospheric instability across Arizona.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
26 Sep. 2025
-
That embarrassing exit from the World Series lingered for months.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Some of the detainees crawled to take cover inside the building.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Sep. 2025
-
There’s the eye monster that crawled inside Arthur’s body and reanimated him, and the plant monster is still out there.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Moments later, Holguin began screaming as the dogs — grabbing him around his legs and torso — dragged him toward the back of the driveway, Silva testified.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
26 Sep. 2025
-
That’s when a second vehicle collided with the pedestrian and dragged him an unknown distance.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In a Senate Small Business Committee field hearing, Western North Carolina leaders called for reform to the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan programs, saying a bureaucratic and convoluted system delayed recovery.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Also, in 2018, the festival was delayed on the first day and then cancelled on the second day due to lightning and severe weather.—
Gabrielle Chenault,
Nashville Tennessean,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As the door rolled shut, Shane slid in.—
John J. Lennon,
Rolling Stone,
23 Sep. 2025
-
These debates matter because Colorado has slid to near the bottom in quality-of-life metrics over the past decade.—
Amy Stephens,
Denver Post,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
One member of the group, Joel Wenhardt, from Southern California, shuffled to the piano and flopped down on the bench.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
-
But what that led to, advocates and attorneys say, is that children in the state’s care continued to be in night to night placements and shuffled from home to home.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Merritt playfully poked fun at safety Bryan Cook, who nearly had an interception.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
26 Sep. 2025
-
In the years since, he's shared his speech progress and also poked fun at his health in his sets.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crept.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crept. Accessed 28 Sep. 2025.
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