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 delayed
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
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 crawled
On a warm day in September, Schlink’s son crawled on the squishy, rubber surface of the large playground near their house.
—
Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 15 Oct. 2025
This time, of the five live roaches, the least shy sashayed across the floor in front of the cookline and crawled under a dining area table.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2025
Bamboo Penny’s 5270 W 116th Place, Leawood A live cockroach crawled on the wall next to the rice cooker at this Leawood Thai restaurant.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2025
After a disastrous trip to Mexico where Irina appeared repulsed by pretty much everything Zack did, the couple split and Zack crawled back to Bliss.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
Just as Ted Lasso began life as a promo for NBC’s English Premier League coverage, Chad Powers crawled out of a gag on Eli’s Places, Eli Manning’s post-retirement ESPN+ program, in which the former Giants quarterback hides under prosthetics to pose as an aspiring Penn State walk-on.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
Some of the detainees crawled to take cover inside the building.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2025
There’s the eye monster that crawled inside Arthur’s body and reanimated him, and the plant monster is still out there.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 23 Sep. 2025
Ball then crawled out onto the lake behind the officer and then pulled Sanders' leg to bring them both to shore.
—David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Sep. 2025
Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 15 Oct. 2025
This time, of the five live roaches, the least shy sashayed across the floor in front of the cookline and crawled under a dining area table.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2025
Bamboo Penny’s 5270 W 116th Place, Leawood A live cockroach crawled on the wall next to the rice cooker at this Leawood Thai restaurant.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2025
After a disastrous trip to Mexico where Irina appeared repulsed by pretty much everything Zack did, the couple split and Zack crawled back to Bliss.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
Just as Ted Lasso began life as a promo for NBC’s English Premier League coverage, Chad Powers crawled out of a gag on Eli’s Places, Eli Manning’s post-retirement ESPN+ program, in which the former Giants quarterback hides under prosthetics to pose as an aspiring Penn State walk-on.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
Some of the detainees crawled to take cover inside the building.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2025
There’s the eye monster that crawled inside Arthur’s body and reanimated him, and the plant monster is still out there.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 23 Sep. 2025
Ball then crawled out onto the lake behind the officer and then pulled Sanders' leg to bring them both to shore.
—David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawled
Verb
-
In the quiet of the Sabbath morning when all the neighborhood was wrapped in slumber, some dastardly degenerate crept into the room, choked her to death, assaulted her criminally and left her bruised and bleeding body lying on the bed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
-
But in Wyoming, where the number of men who hunt has crept ever-so-slowly down, participation by women has increased 30 percent in the past 10 years, helping to hold the line.—
Christine Peterson,
Outdoor Life,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Bank credit concerns also dragged on the European markets today.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
17 Oct. 2025
-
There came a moment—probably before the husband dragged the child, gnawing on his gloved hand, through attic insulation—when things shifted like a plank laying across a fulcrum, weight placed on one end.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
According to the Danville San Ramon, Moseby’s criminal trial has been delayed eight times in recent years as both his attorneys and prosecutors from the district attorney’s office have requested more time to work on the case.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The saga has seen enforcement of the ban-or-sale law delayed multiple times as the app has become a flashpoint in US-China relations.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
QuikTrip dropped 1% to 80 points while Buc-ee’s slid 1%, tying Love’s in fifth place with 79 points.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Penn State abruptly fired James Franklin on Sunday after the Nittany Lions slid from a 3-0 start into a three-game losing streak that included an unexpected 22–21 home loss to Northwestern, leaving the program 3-3 and winless in Big Ten play.—
Rowan Fisher-Shotton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Doctors shuffled her between units — labor and delivery, then other departments — but never ordered a CT scan.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The Sharks also shuffled their defense pairs for Monday’s practice, with Dmitry Orlov and Mario Ferraro forming the top line, Nick Leddy with Timothy Liljegren, and Sam Dickinson paired with John Klingberg.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Negotiations with Rodgers lingered.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The indelible smell lingered — to the point of me thinking of skipping out on my perfume du jour.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Doors being locked and customers needing to be buzzed in.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
15 Oct. 2025
-
But even as the house buzzed with happiness, Shannel was battling a nagging headache.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
14 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
-
Tree roots and ivy creepers have also snaked through the stonework.—
Barry Neild,
CNN Money,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crawled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawled. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share