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

This year has both flown past and also crawled along at a snail’s pace. — Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2026

The lawsuit says Brave crawled and copied content from more than 30 billion webpages in its index without identifying itself or providing the owners of websites any mechanism to block its crawler, according to the newspapers’ complaint. — Molly Crane Newman, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026

The lawsuit says Brave crawled and copied content from more than 30 billion webpages in its index without identifying itself or providing the website owners with any mechanism to block its crawler, according to The News’s complaint. — Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026

The lawsuit says Brave crawled and copied content from more than 30 billion webpages in its index without identifying itself or providing the owners of websites any mechanism to block its crawler, according to The News’s complaint. — Molly Crane-Newman, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026

An alligator with a goofy sense of humor crawled through the back door of a North Carolina bagel shop, then stood at the front counter as if waiting to take someone’s order. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 30 Oct. 2026

Giamanco crawled in through a shot-out window, reached the special education classroom and reracked his firearm in preparation for a deadly confrontation. — David K. Li, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026

In May 2025, after Williams shut off the water in a cell, 10 inmates removed a toilet, crawled through a gap in the wall and scaled a fence out of the jail. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026

In real-world tests, the hand crawled across 14 different surfaces including smooth floors, metal grates, grass, and gravel. — Edd Gent, IEEE Spectrum, 8 Oct. 2026