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
Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 14 Jan. 2026
My favorite space is the private balcony, crawling with green Spanish tile and bestowed with a bistro table and ashtray.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. 2026
Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mom of three, had stopped her maroon SUV on a snowy street crawling with ICE officials.
—Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
The video shows the sergeant crawling on his stomach.
—Joe Brandt, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Now, Letts has brought Coon back to Broadway with the Main Stem debut of his 1996 play Bug, a skin-crawling portrayal of people on the fringes.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 9 Jan. 2026
Here, there's a skin-crawling effect to watching the story unfold onstage.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Jan. 2026
In 2002, The Ring cursed VHS tapes; in 2014, Unfriended made laptops frightening; and now, in 2026, A24’s Undertone is ready to create the world’s first skin-crawling movie about a podcast.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2026
Soon Leone was crawling back to the hackerama, where his old county crony Meehan made him… General Counsel.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
The country is crawling with hot springs and spa retreats, like the famed Blue Lagoon and Sky Lagoon.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 14 Jan. 2026
My favorite space is the private balcony, crawling with green Spanish tile and bestowed with a bistro table and ashtray.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. 2026
Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mom of three, had stopped her maroon SUV on a snowy street crawling with ICE officials.
—Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
The video shows the sergeant crawling on his stomach.
—Joe Brandt, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Now, Letts has brought Coon back to Broadway with the Main Stem debut of his 1996 play Bug, a skin-crawling portrayal of people on the fringes.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 9 Jan. 2026
Here, there's a skin-crawling effect to watching the story unfold onstage.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Jan. 2026
In 2002, The Ring cursed VHS tapes; in 2014, Unfriended made laptops frightening; and now, in 2026, A24’s Undertone is ready to create the world’s first skin-crawling movie about a podcast.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2026
Soon Leone was crawling back to the hackerama, where his old county crony Meehan made him… General Counsel.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawling
Adjective
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Other advantages include the leisurely pace, the excellent service on board, and the quality of the food and wine served.—
David Swanson,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Jan. 2026
-
New research suggests that light daily movement, such as gentle stretching, a leisurely stroll, or easy household chores like vacuuming are linked to a lower risk of death in people with these overlapping conditions, called cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Grow as a creeping vine or along a trellis.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Jan. 2026
-
What’s that warmth creeping over you?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Kerra, the dog referenced in the video, had developed a grapefruit-sized mass on her breast tissue that was dragging on the ground and causing significant discomfort.—
J.D. Miles,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
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That takes nothing away, though, from the epic job Herbert did dragging the Chargers through the second half of the season.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The former child actor dove into his speech by first poking fun at his Home Alone fame.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Jan. 2026
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In June 2021, Megan posted a birthday tribute to Stellan, poking fun at his lack of an Instagram account in the caption.—
Kelsey Lentz,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
These bold compositions linger in the dense winter air, unfolding slowly rather than bursting with bright notes.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Is your play area bursting at the seams?—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Traditional humanoid robots depend heavily on data collected by human operators, which is slow and expensive.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Her days were slow and intentional.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Joseph took over a team that had gone 9-7, but was sliding toward disaster.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
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Position the whetstone horizontally, coarse-side up, on a damp towel to prevent sliding.—
Randi Gollin,
Martha Stewart,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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It's designed to offer a satisfying and calming shuffling motion, guided by a strong magnet and a seamless sliding track on the inside.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crawling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawling. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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