crawls 1 of 2

Definition of crawlsnext
present tense third-person singular of crawl
1
as in creeps
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

Relevance
2
3
4
as in bursts
to be copiously supplied something must be up, as city hall is crawling with reporters

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

crawls

2 of 2

noun

plural of crawl

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 crawls
Verb
As the Bay Area slowly — some might say glacially — crawls into spring, there’s nothing better than sipping a hot cup of tea or coffee to warm yourself up. Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026 As with aftermarket switchable sway bar systems, drivers can lock the sway bars in place for better handling and stability at speed and unlock them completely for maximum articulation during bumpy rock crawls. New Atlas, 9 Feb. 2026 Ma crawls toward you and plants her palms on your cheeks. Molly Aitken, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026 John Tufts The weather outside is about to get frightful as a potentially dangerous winter storm crawls its way across the country. John Tufts, IndyStar, 23 Jan. 2026 In the video, the coyote crawls out of the water and struggles to get his footing once on the rocks. Amanda Hari, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026 Since the holidays, many of us have spent winter days cooped up inside, shuttling between work, school and home while the calendar crawls toward spring. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026 In Elf, while Santa (the late Ed Asner) is setting out toys at an orphanage on Christmas Eve, Buddy (Will Ferrell) crawls into his sack. Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025 Dead Bug Ab-cross crawls support overall ab strength. Health Editorial Team, Health, 20 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawls
Verb
  • This time round, though, an unfortunate silliness sometimes creeps in, where the film risks tipping over Shakespearean-size emotions into embarrassing bathos.
    Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026
  • The curved shadow of the Earth that creeps across the moon during lunar eclipses is key to humankind’s understanding of our planet.
    Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Mary Lattimore’s harp spangles the background, while Camille Getz drags her violin across the track, a clever acoustic rendering of a classic shoegaze guitar squeal.
    Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 11 Mar. 2026
  • There’s a level of helplessness that drags up, being surrounded by AI tools and AI updates and AI jobs, only to be faced with an idiot parent or friend or casual acquaintance using AI to justify their shitty actions towards you.
    CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • That image lingers, but modern legal systems operate with far greater cross-border coordination than in decades past.
    Ascend Agency, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Tulum has always been a place of ceremony, exchange, and reverence for nature, and that inheritance still lingers in the air.
    Gina Góngora, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The 60-year immigration bubble finally bursts.
    , FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Once a cushioned conduit to the other side, the casket now bursts with the wisdom of a life lived outside the box.
    Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The two sides are meeting for a fifth consecutive day Saturday in hopes of getting a CBA finished in a timely fashion to avoid any potential delays to the upcoming WNBA season.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Mar. 2026
  • Travelers should expect long delays.
    Zach LaChance, The Washington Examiner, 15 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Miraculously, the line of people that usually snakes down Melrose yearning for a slice of chef Karla Subero Pittol’s passion lime fruit icebox pie is nonexistent today.
    Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
  • In southwest Russia, where the border with eastern Ukraine snakes down to the Sea of Azov, lies the city of Rostov-on-Don, which serves as the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District.
    Sophie Spiegelberger, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Tristan returns home and greets James while Siegfried shuffles the woman out the window.
    Alice Burton, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
  • That is not unique — Major League Baseball’s offseason shuffles along at a deliberate pace, just as the Dodgers historically have liked.
    Katie Woo, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Your 9th House of Journeys takes focus as the Moon pokes Jupiter in your more localized 3rd house.
    Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Williams pokes a single into the right field gap for an RBI.
    Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 6 Mar. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Crawls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawls. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on crawls

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster