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

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

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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

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

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crawl

2 of 2

noun

as in delay

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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
Additionally, the platforms are designed to be crawled by the world's largest search engines right out of the box. — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 16 Aug. 2026 The Dodgers had a chance to crawl closer with one out in the eighth, with Teoscar Hernández on third and Hunter Feduccia on first. — Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Noun
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 If no shelter is available, crawl to an interior wall away from windows. — Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 16 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
  • The song, from Jay-Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail, which some octogenarian readers may remember arriving three days early through an app for the first million Samsung Galaxy owners, had already begun to creep into the younger generation’s consciousness.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026
  • But when prices on everything from gas to groceries are steadily creeping upward, sticking to your plans for spending can feel like a losing battle.
    — Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of creep
Verb
  • Pleitez would later tell police she was being confronted by Ahumada and others, who were assaulting her 20-year-old companion and attempting to drag him from the car.
    — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • An agreement could provide momentum for talks to renew the USMCA North American trade pact; US-Mexico talks have dragged on, and the White House has publicly opposed renewing the transcontinental deal.
    — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of drag
Verb
  • Ferry services to islands were disrupted and trains arriving from Latvia and Lithuania delayed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Paramount had previously agreed to delay the acquisition to as late as June 2027 due to the legal challenge, and a trial is set for March.
    — Ian Thomas, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of delay
Verb
  • The Briton burst onto the scene last season, and already has 19 professional wins — his Vuelta debut has been much anticipated as Visma search for Van Aert’s long-term replacement.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Pritzker celebrated the groundbreaking of several new data centers in Illinois before AI significantly burst onto the scene, including the opening of Meta’s data center in DeKalb in November 2023.
    — Ben Szalinski, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of burst
Noun
  • Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has remained well below pre-war levels.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The incident marked the city’s 15th pedestrian death and 29th overall traffic fatality of 2026.
    — Jason Green, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of traffic
Verb
  • The Premier League trophy was kept out of the way, not shown off, apart from the blazing cover picture in the souvenir programme which ensured queues snaking through the crowd to purchase this special memento.
    — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
  • When her foster mom is preparing dinner, Lu sneakily samples from her siblings’ meals, snaking her tongue into each bowl.
    — Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of snake
Verb
  • Defender Kevin O'Toole poked the ball away, but Mboma Dem put away a sliding first-touch shot that opened the scoring in the 11th minute.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Somebody had taken a cosmic needle and poked holes in the dome so that the light could filter in.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of poke
Verb
  • Rain has already begun to move across the Big Island and is expected to continue through at least Monday, with lingering rain still impacting some of the islands possibly on Tuesday.
    — Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • If any lingering question of home-court advantage persisted, it was made crystal clear in the final 30 seconds who had the biggest backing, as Barclays erupted in celebration of the Liberty’s game-winning plays down the stretch.
    — Annie Costabile, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of linger

Phrases Containing crawl

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craving
crawl
crawled
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Cite this Entry

“Crawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawl. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on crawl

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about crawl

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