crawl 1 of 2

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

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2
3
4
as in to burst
to be copiously supplied something must be up, as city hall is crawling with reporters

Synonyms & Similar Words

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crawl

2 of 2

noun

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
While payroll growth and the housing market have slowed to a crawl, GDP has come in stronger than expected as consumer spending remains robust, even while Trump’s tariffs raise prices. Jason Ma, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2025 Members of a high school dance team suffered second-degree burns after being forced to do bear crawls on an unusually hot September day in Indiana, parents say. Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
Automobile traffic crawled as drivers struggled to peer through murky air. Robert Wyss, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2025 Despite not being in a conference, Notre Dame has crawled back into the CFP picture by winning five consecutive games after starting the season 0-2 with losses on the road to Miami and at home against Texas A&M. Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for crawl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawl
Verb
  • Even though the regular season is creeping closer by the hour and the anticipation of it all is wafting through the city, Charles Lee insists not much has changed.
    Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Cold temps may be creeping in, but your travel dreams don’t have to hibernate.
    Kimberly Richardson, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • His low cross found Pascal Gross for a tap-in at the far post after Luke Shaw had been dragged central trying to cut off Adam Lallana.
    Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Vader moves the blade, raises it, but the shadow seems to only deepen, the pull of the dark side suddenly stronger, a riptide that threatens to drag him under.
    Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In recent years, some Wyandotte residents have tried to get the government to delay or cancel its tax sales, which usually happen twice a year, to prevent people who have struggled to pay sky-rocketing property tax bills from losing their family homes.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The continued closure of the Rafah crossing is preventing delivery of equipment needed to find dead hostages and will therefore delay recovery efforts, Hamas said, according to Reuters.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Simpson has burst onto the scene in his first year as the Alabama starter after taking over for Jalen Milroe.
    Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
  • About 700,000 years later, the strait burst open again, and a brutal megaflood filled the Mediterranean in a matter of months.
    Big Think, Big Think, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The country's Ministry of Transportation reported that more than 10,000 people died in traffic accidents in 2024.
    Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Here's your daily look at traffic on major highways in the Kansas City area.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Debates have raged in the busy industry program, standby ticket queues have snaked outside venues for the hottest premieres and the stars — in their droves — have been out in force and on major charm offensives, with distributors using the fest to launch both awards and release campaigns.
    Alex Ritman, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
  • The campers and counselors died after torrential rain forced water levels on the river, which snakes through multiple summer camps in the region, to rise from 3 feet to 30 feet in a matter of hours.
    Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • One poked his head into the live shot and later stuck his hand into the frame, seemingly seeking a fist bump from the reporter.
    Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Kean himself gets a tattoo hand-poked into his skin and applies medieval salves to his wounds.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • People face food insecurity due to cuts in benefit programs and rising grocery prices long before the August rains and will linger long after.
    La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Some people drained their toilet bowls in order to breathe air through the plumbing as the smoke lingered and covered them in yellow soot.
    Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Crawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawl. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.

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