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
Yuna Kim, New York Daily News, 6 May 2026
Detroit then went to Orlando and extended its hopes yet again — crawling out of a 24-point hole through a historic clampdown.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 5 May 2026
No doubt the collectors are staying at the Hotel Cipriani on Giudecca, which make up for the inconvenience of leaving the vicinity of San Marco with the unparalleled luxury and complete insulation from the masses crawling over the canals.
—Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 5 May 2026
Blocks away, Boise was crawling, too.
—Michael Deeds
may 1, Idaho Statesman, 1 May 2026
Police said Morgan was seen crawling under a partially open garage door before jumping into a backyard pool.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Footage shared by Sky News showed the animal crawling up onto the eatery's counter.
—Adam England, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
Rather than crawling through the living room doggie door, Maxwell sleeps in one of the former cells, with easy outdoor access, and his own garden.
—Eric Adler
april 26, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2026
Adobe could be crawling its way out of the software stock abyss, after a buyback and an endorsement from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang revived confidence in the digital media provider.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
Ahmed Moustafa, who operates a halal cart near Yankee Stadium, is still crawling out from the pandemic.
—Yuna Kim, New York Daily News, 6 May 2026
Detroit then went to Orlando and extended its hopes yet again — crawling out of a 24-point hole through a historic clampdown.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 5 May 2026
No doubt the collectors are staying at the Hotel Cipriani on Giudecca, which make up for the inconvenience of leaving the vicinity of San Marco with the unparalleled luxury and complete insulation from the masses crawling over the canals.
—Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 5 May 2026
Blocks away, Boise was crawling, too.
—Michael Deeds
may 1, Idaho Statesman, 1 May 2026
Police said Morgan was seen crawling under a partially open garage door before jumping into a backyard pool.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Footage shared by Sky News showed the animal crawling up onto the eatery's counter.
—Adam England, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
Rather than crawling through the living room doggie door, Maxwell sleeps in one of the former cells, with easy outdoor access, and his own garden.
—Eric Adler
april 26, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2026
Adobe could be crawling its way out of the software stock abyss, after a buyback and an endorsement from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang revived confidence in the digital media provider.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawling
Adjective
-
Start the day with grab-and-go breakfast tacos and end it with a leisurely dinner of Wagyu beef fajitas or the Dandy Don, an enchilada sampler made with locally famous La Norteña tortillas.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 May 2026
-
Its activewear combines fitness, sports with the leisurely surf style.—
Ella Gonzales
May 4,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
For another easy-to-care-for choice that relishes sunlight, look to creeping juniper and its beautifully hazy blue-green leaves.—
Melissa Epifano,
The Spruce,
28 Apr. 2026
-
That dingy look creeping across the screens and settling on every surface?—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sam instead proposes that the performer dance to it without music, a prompt that is followed by Anne Hathaway flinging herself across the room, dragging her body across the floor in a hypnotic spectacle that seems to convey struggle, possession, and loss of control.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Even the sleeker Samsonite Proxis feels substantial without dragging you over the limit.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The post quickly drew a wave of reactions online, with some users poking fun at both the situation and Jones’ outfit.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
-
Here, Ibrahima Konate has the simple task of poking the ball through United’s midfield, Wirtz swaps passes with Szoboszlai, and then has a decent attempt at goal.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
My heart is bursting with gratitude.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
5 May 2026
-
This encourages new growth and results in lilacs which appear fuller, bursting with color from the inside out.—
Emily Leahy,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
But so far, progress has been slow — if not nonexistent.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Russia’s bigger and better-equipped army has been engaged in a slow, hard slog in Ukraine.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Three minutes and 22 seconds into the first period, Frost defender Sidney Morin got an open pass from captain Kendall Coyne Schofield just to the right of Montreal’s goal, sliding it just behind Ann-Renée Desbiens.—
Theodore Tollefson,
Twin Cities,
8 May 2026
-
After Kevin McGonigle led off with a lineout – another smooth-as-silk sliding catch by Abreu – the righty issued back-to-back walks to Matt Vierling and Keith.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
There was major line shuffling overall by Cooper on this night.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
YoshimiO, sharing fellow ’90s icon Flea’s recent interest in the instrument, turns in a credible trumpet line during the track’s shuffling, exuberant second half.—
Reed Jackson,
SPIN,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crawling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawling. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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