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
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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
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Recent Examples of crawling
Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2026
New York has an opportunity this week to make Toronto’s chances of crawling back into the division race seem daunting.
—Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 19 May 2026
Amazon won a court order to block the AI-agents from crawling its sites in March.
—Michelle Castillo, CNBC, 19 May 2026
Sacramento County health inspectors closed four restaurants this week, including Carmichael’s Royal Cuisine, where a live nymph cockroach was found crawling on the salt and pepper shakers.
—Sacbee.com, 16 May 2026
Clarke recalled crawling to the bathroom and vomiting from the pain before realizing something was seriously wrong.
—Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
Surveillance video from one convenience store that was burglarized shows a man in a hoodie crawling in through a hole in the bottom of the front door, climbing over the front counter and opening the cash register.
—CBS News, 14 May 2026
For more serious cavers who are at least 16 years old, this summer-only, four-hour tour requires crawling, climbing, and contorting.
—Robert Annis, Midwest Living, 14 May 2026
No one enjoys finding moths fluttering around the flour or tiny caterpillars crawling in the cereal.
—Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 13 May 2026
Verb
The adjustable cords along the bottom cuffs even keep bugs from crawling up your calves.
—Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2026
New York has an opportunity this week to make Toronto’s chances of crawling back into the division race seem daunting.
—Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 19 May 2026
Amazon won a court order to block the AI-agents from crawling its sites in March.
—Michelle Castillo, CNBC, 19 May 2026
Sacramento County health inspectors closed four restaurants this week, including Carmichael’s Royal Cuisine, where a live nymph cockroach was found crawling on the salt and pepper shakers.
—Sacbee.com, 16 May 2026
Clarke recalled crawling to the bathroom and vomiting from the pain before realizing something was seriously wrong.
—Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
Surveillance video from one convenience store that was burglarized shows a man in a hoodie crawling in through a hole in the bottom of the front door, climbing over the front counter and opening the cash register.
—CBS News, 14 May 2026
For more serious cavers who are at least 16 years old, this summer-only, four-hour tour requires crawling, climbing, and contorting.
—Robert Annis, Midwest Living, 14 May 2026
No one enjoys finding moths fluttering around the flour or tiny caterpillars crawling in the cereal.
—Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawling
Adjective
-
Jodie Foster steps out after enjoying a leisurely brunch with her wife at Café Cluny in New York City on May 27.—
People Staff,
PEOPLE,
30 May 2026
-
Acceleration is leisurely, however, even for this group of cars.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Chartreuse creeping Jenny adds even more contrast.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
1 June 2026
-
Yes, the guys, especially the dentist (ick) and the icky bride-shopping commanders are creeping and disturbing.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Instead of running quietly in the background, sleep evangelists are shouting about its importance from the rooftops, and neuroscientists are dragging it out into the light of day on TED Talk stages for further dissection.—
Sharon Brandwein,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
-
Nasdaq shares tumbled more than 5% in the session, dragging the stock into the red week to date.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
In partnership with Underdog, a popular daily fantasy sports (DFS) and pick'em betting platform, Brooks revealed a one-of-a-kind board game poking fun at SGA.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
-
Plenty of skilled directors can manipulate tension and fear while still poking us toward nervous laughter.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
There are whales and cacti; birds and deep-sea fish, or fruit and flowers bursting from the same stalk.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
27 May 2026
-
The gown's intricate design created the illusion of fireworks bursting in all directions, making Davis's look a standout on the red carpet.—
Chanel Vargas,
InStyle,
24 May 2026
Adjective
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Recovery of the bodies has been slow because of the chemicals and other hazards present at the site, Amos explained.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
-
One of the most painful things about this disease is knowing that promising treatments are emerging, but funding barriers and manufacturing and procedural slow-downs continue to derail progress.—
Elise Esposito,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
Verb
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However, Aaron Judge fired a pinpointed rocket to plate, where Austin Wells applied a bang-bang tag on a sliding Massey just in time.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2026
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Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The move comes one year after the team promoted Saleh to general manager after another round of shuffling in its front office.—
Lauren Williams,
AJC.com,
27 May 2026
-
The room was full of journalists and no supporters, so as the race call that Paxton won went out, the only sounds were fingers tapping at keyboards and television reporters shuffling in front of cameras to prepare to go live.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crawling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawling. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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