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
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Recent Examples of crawling
Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 17 June 2026
The challenge, of course, is that cleaning baseboards often involves crawling around on hands and knees, a task few people are eager to do.
—Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 13 June 2026
He was arrested after a two-day manhunt, crawling in a field in a rural part of the state.
—Chloe Atkins, NBC news, 11 June 2026
Fans broke into Hard Rock Stadium at the 2024 Copa América final in Miami, breaking down barriers and crawling into the ventilation systems.
—Jack Holmes, Vanity Fair, 11 June 2026
Wrigley Field West, aka Coors Field, was crawling with Cubs fans on Tuesday night.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 11 June 2026
He was found on Thursday morning, crawling towards Base Camp, and airlifted to Kathmandu, where doctors are treating him for frostbite, severe dehydration and a fractured thigh bone.
—CBS News, 10 June 2026
Removing the lowest leaves can reduce the risk of these problems and keep some pests from crawling onto your plants.
—Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 9 June 2026
Ötzi the Iceman, Europe’s most famous mummy, is crawling with microbes, some long dead, some still eking out a living after thousands of years, and some very modern.
—ArsTechnica, 6 June 2026
Verb
For cybersecurity companies, identifying a digital agent crawling a website used to be enough evidence of malicious activity.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 17 June 2026
The challenge, of course, is that cleaning baseboards often involves crawling around on hands and knees, a task few people are eager to do.
—Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 13 June 2026
He was arrested after a two-day manhunt, crawling in a field in a rural part of the state.
—Chloe Atkins, NBC news, 11 June 2026
Fans broke into Hard Rock Stadium at the 2024 Copa América final in Miami, breaking down barriers and crawling into the ventilation systems.
—Jack Holmes, Vanity Fair, 11 June 2026
Wrigley Field West, aka Coors Field, was crawling with Cubs fans on Tuesday night.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 11 June 2026
He was found on Thursday morning, crawling towards Base Camp, and airlifted to Kathmandu, where doctors are treating him for frostbite, severe dehydration and a fractured thigh bone.
—CBS News, 10 June 2026
Removing the lowest leaves can reduce the risk of these problems and keep some pests from crawling onto your plants.
—Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 9 June 2026
Ötzi the Iceman, Europe’s most famous mummy, is crawling with microbes, some long dead, some still eking out a living after thousands of years, and some very modern.
—ArsTechnica, 6 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawling
Adjective
-
In 1943, Shalit headed to the University of Illinois and took a leisurely six years to earn his degree.—
Chris Koseluk,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2026
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That leisurely pace would lead only to more murder, and more assassinations.—
Wesley Morris,
New York Times,
9 June 2026
Verb
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But the sheer brutality and creeping terror of the simplistic opening scene makes the rest of the film — with its gratuitous set pieces and CGI gore — seem much more inelegant.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 June 2026
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This is particularly true for people with mild hypertension or those whose blood pressure has just started creeping into the elevated range.—
Maggie O'Neill,
Verywell Health,
12 June 2026
Verb
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MbappĂ© has already been a hero for his country, winning the World Cup in 2018 and scoring a hat-trick in the 2022 final while almost dragging his team to an unlikely defense of the title.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
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Avoid activities that could create a spark, including campfires, outdoor burning and dragging trailer chains.—
Joe Ruch,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
Verb
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The post included a picture of a baby’s feet poking out from a blanket.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
-
In Labour circles, there is an old joke poking fun at Burnham’s chameleon-like ability to blend into whichever set of ideas is in vogue on the left at that moment in time.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
The aisles of the big box store of your choice are bursting with pool noodles, sunscreen, Pride rainbow sunglasses, and American flags.—
Jennifer Rosen Heinz,
Parents,
17 June 2026
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The streets were bursting with celebratory fervor.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
14 June 2026
Adjective
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The Virgo moon invites you to take a slower pace today.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
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The Targaryen civil war has been a bit of a slow burn so far, though both sides of the family have suffered major casualties.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Verb
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Four minutes later South Korea created its best chance to score tonight but a sliding Lee Kang-in could not get his foot on a beautiful cross into the box.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
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In the fourth inning, Witt attempted to make a sliding grab on his knees on the infield dirt.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
19 June 2026
Verb
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The model of shuffling that the new result depends on, like Bayer and Diaconis’ before it, still assumes that the cards riffle down one by one, rather than in clumps.—
John Pavlus,
Quanta Magazine,
17 June 2026
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The Calgary Flames will play their final season at Scotiabank Saddledome before shuffling into Scotia Place in 2027.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crawling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawling. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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