as in leisurely
moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed
the crawling pace of the narrative is really frustrating
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in creeping
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
2
as in dragging
to move slowly
the weekend traffic on the road to the beach just crawled
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in poking
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 crawling
Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 27 Jan. 2026
Soon Carbone was crawling with celebrities.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Most people want to know how to keep bed bugs away from their homes because, unlike more harmless bugs crawling around the house, a bed bug infestation is a massive ordeal.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 23 Jan. 2026
Researchers found that increasing the finger count from three to five improved the hand’s crawling efficiency, but adding more beyond that resulted in diminishing returns.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 22 Jan. 2026
Kids love sliding and crawling through the tunnels that twist and turn.
—Kristine Sorensen, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
The front counter salad reach-in cooler had an accumulation of live roaches — a dozen — crawling inside the gaskets.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2026
Insects were observed actively crawling from cages upon arrival.
—Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 21 Jan. 2026
The hand needed sufficient actuators to carry multiple objects while crawling, so joint torque limits, motor size, and 3D-printing constraints informed finger length, placement, and body geometry.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
Few things shake the confidence of a person like crawling to the top bunk of a quivering bed frame, your feet wrapping uncomfortably along the frail metal rungs of the ladder.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 27 Jan. 2026
Soon Carbone was crawling with celebrities.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Most people want to know how to keep bed bugs away from their homes because, unlike more harmless bugs crawling around the house, a bed bug infestation is a massive ordeal.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 23 Jan. 2026
Researchers found that increasing the finger count from three to five improved the hand’s crawling efficiency, but adding more beyond that resulted in diminishing returns.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 22 Jan. 2026
Kids love sliding and crawling through the tunnels that twist and turn.
—Kristine Sorensen, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
The front counter salad reach-in cooler had an accumulation of live roaches — a dozen — crawling inside the gaskets.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2026
Insects were observed actively crawling from cages upon arrival.
—Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 21 Jan. 2026
The hand needed sufficient actuators to carry multiple objects while crawling, so joint torque limits, motor size, and 3D-printing constraints informed finger length, placement, and body geometry.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawling
Adjective
-
From sunset yoga and a world-class spa to leisurely strolls under the live oaks and days spent by the pool, activities at the 20,000-acre resort are numerous—and relaxing.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Most of the money engages the leisurely judgment of the bettors, who have all day to survey the odds or the records of the starting pitchers, or to apply their systems.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
After a short detour, visitors will find some cute photo ops with the beavers and even more Pokémon creeping onto the main trail.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Make the jump to cigarette jeans, also known (less charmingly) as stovepipe or boyfriend jeans, which are slowly but surely creeping into the fashion ecosystem.—
Jake Henry Smith,
Glamour,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Israel had repeatedly accused Hamas of dragging its feet in the recovery of the final hostage.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Israel had repeatedly accused Hamas of dragging its feet in the recovery of Gvili’s remains.—
Julia Frankel,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Their second goal came on a play that McLellan still felt postgame should have been overturned for goalie interference, with Dylan Strome seemingly poking a puck out from under Gibson’s glove and scoring on a wraparound.—
Max Bultman,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Spillman seemingly didn’t mind poking fun at her age, hitting the comedic beat again in the November episode that featured the finalists.—
Sandra Gonzalez,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
There’s a five-star spa, a hotel restaurant bursting with fecund plants, and soft, warm lighting.—
Jocelyn Silver,
Vogue,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The school still needs about $2 million to get it across the finish line — including the heavy lifting of bursting the seawall to create the inland lagoon that will host the mangroves.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Some folks who were moving a little slow, some folks wanted to dilute the Canadiana or the Big C Canadian of it.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
In practice, the process is slow, burdensome, and uncertain.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The defender remained upfield after a corner kick, sliding into position inside the 6-yard box to bang home a cross from Emma Sears with her left foot.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
29 Jan. 2026
-
After receiving no response from inside the home, the SWAT team deployed a smaller armored vehicle known as a Rook to break down a side fence and enter the home through a sliding glass door.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Even when the locals lost faith, Villa remained focused, forever shuffling side to side and defending with the same urgency.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Go on a street food tour Street food tours are great things to do in Sicily and a fabulous alternative to hours of shuffling through museums.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crawling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawling. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
