1
2
as in drags
to move slowly
the weekend traffic on the road to the beach just crawled
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lingers
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
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
ABC News, 26 Oct. 2025
When a storm crawls, rainfall piles up over the same towns for days.
—Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Everything except Eidra, who asks him not to leave and crawls into his arms.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2025
Chalamet crawls out of the weird-for-the-sake-of-being-weird chamber and chucks the helmet to the ground, displaying his now shaven head.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 8 Oct. 2025
Arisu crawls onto a mound of rubble for momentary relief, and is met with an angry Banda.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
That advice seems only to have strengthened the Democrats’ resolve to stand firm in opposition to the bill, even as the shutdown deadline crawls closer with no sign of a breakthrough.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 22 Sep. 2025
Gameplay begins as the player crawls from the wreckage.
—G Kirilloff, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
And, and then something happened that was not very tasty and the stinkbug crawls and flies away.
—Outside Online, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
What to do if the -- if the original guy crawls out of his grave and wants his job back.
—ABC News, 26 Oct. 2025
When a storm crawls, rainfall piles up over the same towns for days.
—Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Everything except Eidra, who asks him not to leave and crawls into his arms.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2025
Chalamet crawls out of the weird-for-the-sake-of-being-weird chamber and chucks the helmet to the ground, displaying his now shaven head.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 8 Oct. 2025
Arisu crawls onto a mound of rubble for momentary relief, and is met with an angry Banda.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
That advice seems only to have strengthened the Democrats’ resolve to stand firm in opposition to the bill, even as the shutdown deadline crawls closer with no sign of a breakthrough.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 22 Sep. 2025
Gameplay begins as the player crawls from the wreckage.
—G Kirilloff, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
And, and then something happened that was not very tasty and the stinkbug crawls and flies away.
—Outside Online, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawls
Verb
-
For Dimon, bureaucracy is a reflex that creeps into any large institution and shields leaders from reality.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Meyers will continue being a name to watch as the deadline creeps closer.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
His speech comes as Miami-Dade has become a political pawn as the shutdown drags on.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The longer the shutdown drags on, the more likely disruptions become.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Light snow lingers into the evening.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
-
But beverages that contain THC don’t hit like alcohol, instead causing a sensation that’s more like a slow exhale that lingers just long enough to make the room feel softer, the music warmer and your friends a little funnier.—
Timothy DePeugh,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
Later, as the film plays, the crowd bursts intermittently into laughter, cracking up at the clown-car quality of everyone piling into the van for the first time.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Major delays at airports across the country continue to persist due to staffing issues in air traffic controller towers and centers.—
Jon Haworth,
ABC News,
8 Nov. 2025
-
After the modems were shut off in 2021, Forlini said, each community had to bring in the memory sticks in the tabulators to the county elections department for uploading, which brought delays in reporting unofficial results.—
Christina Hall,
Freep.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Two incumbents — west Charlotte’s Thelma Byers-Bailey and Summer Nunn, whose district snakes along the county’s southern border — chose not to run for reelection to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education.—
Josh Bergeron,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Nov. 2025
-
In its search for ample sunlight, the species tightly snakes up trees.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
That’s a solid dramatic question, but one that might’ve been more productive as an inciting incident, as too much of this low-budget drama shuffles around subjects that demand incisive action in 2025, effectively creating a subtle irony that undermines the film’s own point.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Gakpo is deeper, and Wirtz pushes forward as the central member of Liverpool’s forward line, while Ekitike shuffles across as the left of the trio.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The closing scene of the trailer pokes fun at the Grammy-winning singer's dancing prowess.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The neck of his daughter's guitar pokes out above chunks of concrete.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crawls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawls. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share