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
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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
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show current usage.
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Recent Examples of crawled
On Wednesday, a similar scene closely followed as the funeral procession for Kansas City, Kansas, police officer Hunter Simoncic crawled along through the highways and streets in the community Simoncic worked to keep safe.
—
Emily Curiel, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025
Eby crawled across a ladder over the water to the vehicle, then crawled back with the child on his back, the video shows.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Agba crawled under the counter and demanded Montano hand over the child, deputies said.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2025
Rumor had it that Chickenbone Lake crawled with northern pike and big walleyes.
—Ben East, Outdoor Life, 28 Aug. 2025
The second victim crawled through a quarter-mile of park terrain, crying for help until neighbors called 911.
—Jessica James, Baltimore Sun, 19 Aug. 2025
As the morning crawled on and temperatures rose to the high 80s, several more sage-green Humvees filled with soldiers pulled up to join the four already parked at the corners of the station’s outside plaza.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
One shopper especially appreciated its durability, even after pets in the house crawled on the blanket itself.
—Nicole Pyles, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Aug. 2025
Marina crawled in and shook his shoulder.
—Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025
Emily Curiel, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025
Eby crawled across a ladder over the water to the vehicle, then crawled back with the child on his back, the video shows.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Agba crawled under the counter and demanded Montano hand over the child, deputies said.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2025
Rumor had it that Chickenbone Lake crawled with northern pike and big walleyes.
—Ben East, Outdoor Life, 28 Aug. 2025
The second victim crawled through a quarter-mile of park terrain, crying for help until neighbors called 911.
—Jessica James, Baltimore Sun, 19 Aug. 2025
As the morning crawled on and temperatures rose to the high 80s, several more sage-green Humvees filled with soldiers pulled up to join the four already parked at the corners of the station’s outside plaza.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
One shopper especially appreciated its durability, even after pets in the house crawled on the blanket itself.
—Nicole Pyles, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Aug. 2025
Marina crawled in and shook his shoulder.
—Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawled
Verb
-
The wildfires ignited Tuesday as a monsoonal storm crept north across the state, unleashing more than 9,000 lightning strikes, according to Cal Fire.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Wall Street’s fear gauge, the CBOE Volatility Index, surged 15% on Tuesday as jitters crept back onto Wall Street.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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His life was going nowhere, until his brother Scott dragged him off the couch and convinced Dean to sign up with his acting coach, Bill Esper.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
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Mitchell was then dragged outside to the valet area, and a female Hyatt employee grabbed a broomstick and struck Mitchell with it.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Justice Department in its June 2024 report on problems with policing in Phoenix found that police delayed medical assistance to people who appeared to be incapacitated as a result of the use of force by officers and used unreasonable force on people who had already been wounded by officers.—
Elena Santa Cruz,
AZCentral.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Owner Sam Sandrin said the opening was delayed due to a plumber misrepresenting that they were licensed.—
Jordyn Noennig,
jsonline.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Despite turnaround efforts, shares of Kraft Heinz have slid roughly 60% since the merger closed in 2015.—
Amelia Lucas,
CNBC,
2 Sep. 2025
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Plenty of guys have slid into her DMs, but none are local to her.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Over the past two months, he’s been shuffled through three detention centers despite attempts to pay a bond set by the immigration judge.—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
22 Aug. 2025
-
On Wednesday Ahn slowly shuffled to a bridge leading to the Korean Peninsula’s Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), pleading for permission to cross the zone – one of the most heavily militarized borders in the world – and enter North Korea.—
Gawon Bae,
CNN Money,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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That alone is enough to extinguish whatever lingered from Tuesday night’s debacle.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
-
That heavy drinking in the early days of the breakup is briefly discussed but not lingered upon.—
Caleb Hammond,
IndieWire,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Cristian Roldan buzzed about, and burst through midfield.—
Henry Bushnell,
New York Times,
1 Sep. 2025
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The pagers of emergency room staff at Hennepin Healthcare, in downtown Minneapolis, buzzed yet again — this time carrying especially dire news.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Lines snaked around every outside court, contrasting sharply with the ones only in use for practice, sparsely and quietly populated with players honing their skills for the bigger stages.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
27 Aug. 2025
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Hundreds of energized voters snaked around Union Square on Sunday afternoon, as New Yorkers sought one of the limited Zohran Mamdani Scavenger Hunt cards at the first clue stop.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crawled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawled. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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