crawl 1 of 2

verb

ˈkrȯl How to pronounce crawl (audio)
Definition of crawlnext
1
as in to creep
to move slowly with the body close to the ground the time we had to crawl through a narrow passageway from one cave to another

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to drag
to move slowly the weekend traffic on the road to the beach just crawled

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to delay
to move or act slowly the deadline is fast approaching, so this is no time to crawl

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to burst
to be copiously supplied something must be up, as city hall is crawling with reporters

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

crawl

2 of 2

noun

as in delay

Related Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of crawl
Verb
Just crawling on one's knees and making the right move at the right moment. — Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2026 Installation doesn’t require crews to manually crawl along hundreds of miles of line. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
Noun
When hundreds or even thousands of residents try to leave at the same time, traffic can slow to a crawl. — Ashley Bosa, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026 For those who have yet to enter the crawl, Donut is a tiara-wearing talking cat who belonged to the titular Carl’s ex-girlfriend, Beatrice. — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for crawl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawl
  1. creep
  2. drag
  3. delay
  4. burst
  5. traffic
  6. snake
  7. poke
  8. linger
Verb
  • Each of its elements began, long ago, in the loamy earth, hatching and creeping or slipping, slick and squealing, from the womb of the mind.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • But, even as the fall months creep in, the weather still allows for lighter fabrics.
    — Kaitlin Clapinski, InStyle, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of creep
Verb
  • Planning a trip between friends is like a game of chess, between coordinating schedules, budgets and other logistics that can drag on, no matter how fun the trip sounds.
    — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Any attempt to walk him ended with me dragged across the asphalt behind his drumstick legs.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of drag
Verb
  • Some of that January increase reflects workers who secured jobs during the final months of the previous year but delayed their start dates.
    — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is pouring billions of dollars into developing a domestic tech ecosystem under his Vision 2030 program, even as some mega-projects are delayed.
    — Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of delay
Verb
  • The skins cling like wet T-shirts to the filling beneath, with each plump bundle nearly bursting with big, discernible chunks of shrimp and ground pork.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Heaps of plot aren’t required, of course, but one watches Color of the Sun with a constant itch for something to burst through the movie’s mannered stillness and liven up the picture.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of burst
Noun
  • Overall vessel traffic through Bab el-Mandeb fell around 24% in the week following the July blockade.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Watch for the company to publish Classic-versus-standard traffic or same-store sales data in an upcoming earnings call.
    — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of traffic
Verb
  • The estate sprawls across 77 acres of pastoral tranquility, with trails snaking through the woods, oak trees towering over lawns, and birdsong filling the air.
    — Brian Cicioni, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2026
  • But the real action was in line for the Breen meet and greet, which snaked across the lobby of the Regal’s mezzanine level after the second screening.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of snake
Verb
  • Traditionally, there’s this rendering of hell as a dark cave with fire, and there’s the devil with a pitchfork poking everybody with it.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
  • With the help of Nollet, Anderson’s hair was blown and teased away from her forehead, with tinges of pink poking through.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of poke
Verb
  • Still, there was a cloud of public doubt lingering over the event.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The afterburn of his relationship with Charleson lingers affectingly, though.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of linger

Phrases Containing crawl

Browse Nearby Words

craving
crawl
crawled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Crawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawl. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on crawl

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about crawl

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of empirical

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All