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
Relevance
2
as in dragged
to move slowly
the weekend traffic on the road to the beach just crawled
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lingered
to move or act slowly
the deadline is fast approaching, so this is no time to crawl
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crawled
One live roach crawled on the floor in front of a storage rack with seasoning and cans.
—
David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
Maybe the girl had crawled under a neighbor's trailer while playing hide-and-seek.
—Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 5 Feb. 2026
One first responder walked and crawled out on the ice when someone was spotted.
—Joe Brandt, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Mergers have crawled since 2021 and were finally expected to rebound last year.
—Luisa Beltran, Sportico.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The young man belly-crawled on the ice to reach the panicked dog and pulled the animal out of the water, according to the outlet.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
But that was well over a year ago, and the procurement process has crawled ever since.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Some of the protesters crawled to escape the gunfire.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
Before the van could drive away, one quick thinker crawled under it and stayed there for the duration of the eight-hour protest that followed.
—Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 22 Jan. 2026
David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
Maybe the girl had crawled under a neighbor's trailer while playing hide-and-seek.
—Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 5 Feb. 2026
One first responder walked and crawled out on the ice when someone was spotted.
—Joe Brandt, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Mergers have crawled since 2021 and were finally expected to rebound last year.
—Luisa Beltran, Sportico.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The young man belly-crawled on the ice to reach the panicked dog and pulled the animal out of the water, according to the outlet.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
But that was well over a year ago, and the procurement process has crawled ever since.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Some of the protesters crawled to escape the gunfire.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
Before the van could drive away, one quick thinker crawled under it and stayed there for the duration of the eight-hour protest that followed.
—Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawled
Verb
-
Diabate put his head down to butt up against Duren’s forehead after the two slowly crept toward each other and Duren took his right hand and swiped at Diabate.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Nerves about possibly missing the NCAA Tournament have crept back in among fans in College Station.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The beat stood out in part because expectations had been so low after a stalling labor market grew more dire as the year dragged on.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
During her arrest in December, security forces beat the activist repeatedly and dragged her by the hair, tearing sections of her scalp, and continued to beat her in the transport vehicle, the Nobel Committee said in a statement issued earlier Wednesday.—
Jomana Karadsheh,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The crowd of students that had flooded into Klyde Warren Park was gradually dispersing; some returned to the classroom and others lingered around the greenery.—
Jessica Ma,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The Twin Earth, from Jaio Studios, lingered in the memory with its stylistic animation about the discovery of another, happier Earth.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
On a chilly Austin morning, downtown buzzed with excitement earlier than usual for a Sunday.—
Aaron E Martinez,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Two drones buzzed overhead, and a chopper was up.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
De Boo slid into the padded wall, seemingly more out of frustration than anything else.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Wright ultimately slid to the Seattle Kraken with the fourth pick.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That means there aren’t going to be just a few chairs shuffled around; my suspicion is much of the roster likely will be overhauled in the next few years.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
-
On Thursday afternoon, about 300 people in a mix of puffer coats and fleeces shuffled in place on a line that snaked south along Seventh Avenue to West 10th Street, wrapped around Julius’ and circled back — an Ouroborous.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The first hearing for Campillo’s new proposal was delayed from November because the Rules Committee fell short of a quorum before the proposal could be debated.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Federal agencies halted overdose-surveillance networks, delayed youth smoking data, scaled back food-safety pathogen monitoring and purged transgender health information from websites.—
Mike Stobbe,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Others expel water from their cells to prevent the freeze-thaw cycle from bursting cell walls.—
Alex Kuffner,
The Providence Journal,
14 Feb. 2026
-
After the penstock burst Friday, a technical rescue team from the Cal Fire Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit was called to the powerhouse, which is located below Lake Francis about 4½ miles from New Bullards Bar Reservoir and 2½ miles from Dobbins.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crawled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawled. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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