Synonyms of crawled

crawled

verb

past tense of crawl

1

as in crept

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

• crept
• slid
• snaked
• slithered
• tiptoed
• wriggled
• crouched
• sneaked
• squatted
• wormed
• groveled
• bellied
• inched
• stole
• edged
• nosed
• skulked

2

as in dragged

to move slowly

the weekend traffic on the road to the beach just crawled

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dragged
• crept
• shuffled
• poked
• slouched
• inched
• limped
• oozed
• creaked (along)
• plodded
• nosed
• snailed
• trudged
• shambled
• tramped
• lumbered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• flew
• raced
• sped
• sailed
• floated
• hurried
• whizzed
• zipped
• tore
• glided

3

as in lingered

to move or act slowly

the deadline is fast approaching, so this is no time to crawl

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dragged
• lingered
• delayed
• poked
• strolled
• crept
• shuffled
• loitered
• played
• lagged
• dawdled
• fell behind
• stalled
• dropped behind
• diddled
• moped
• lollygagged
• hung fire
• lounged
• staggered
• marked time
• tarried
• sauntered
• dallied
• dragged one's feet
• idled
• dillydallied
• took one's time
• ambled
• inched
• shilly-shallied
• loafed
• trifled
• puttered (around)
• fiddled (around)
• lolled
• pottered (around)
• plodded
• decelerated
• fooled around
• eased
• hung (around or out)
• lumbered
• messed around
• slowed (down or up)
• monkeyed (around)
• temporized
• procrastinated
• filibustered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• flew
• sped
• rushed
• scurried
• ran
• hurried
• raced
• ripped
• scooted
• bolted
• hastened
• tore
• whirled
• dashed
• whizzed
• zipped
• whisked
• scrambled
• rocketed
• darted
• scudded
• coursed
• barreled
• hustled
• hurtled
• humped
• ran
• stampeded
• trotted
• bowled
• breezed
• sprinted
• galloped
• jogged
• careered
• accelerated
• quickened
• hotfooted (it)
• sped (up)
• overtook
• caught up
• outpaced
• outstripped
• outran
• fast-forwarded

4

as in buzzed

to be copiously supplied

something must be up, as city hall is crawling with reporters

Synonyms & Similar Words

• buzzed
• burst
• hummed
• bulged
• swarmed
• brimmed
• abounded
• teemed
• bustled
• overflowed
• bristled
• pullulated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• needed
• wanted
• lacked

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of crawled

The technology isn’t perfect, Walsh said; if Gus had crawled beneath a bush to sleep, the camera wouldn’t necessarily find him. — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026

Suki, who had been with her new family only a few weeks, had crawled into an opening in an entertainment center cabinet and could not get out. — Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

Every window of every building the bus crawled past opened a severe yearning in me, as though my life here had become abstract or theoretical. — Hisham Matar, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026

Each tool sharpened one department, and the work still crawled between them, because nobody was ever asked to own the crawling. — Krupesh Bhat, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026

One roach crawled on glassware in the dishwashing area and eight were under the dishwasher. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026

The mural is as if the octopus crawled out of the large vase filled with water and flowers and is helping to feed the birds. — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026

Seconds later, the huge bear crawled through the broken window and made its escape. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026

To compile as comprehensive a list as possible, Szydlowski crawled Instagram and Reddit for photos of people wearing different types of smart glasses. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026