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 pokes
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
Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Dead Bug Ab-cross crawls support overall ab strength.
—Health Editorial Team, Health, 28 Aug. 2025
The train crawls through one impressively lush landscape after another—around mountains; through valleys, jungles, forests, and tea plantations; and past thickets of palm trees waving gracefully in the humid breeze.
—Alesandra Dubin, AFAR Media, 25 Aug. 2025
Powerful waves of 15 to 20 feet are expected to slam beaches, especially in North Carolina, for 48 hours or more as the hurricane crawls northward offshore through at least Thursday.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025
The interior required a separate build to support a climactic sequence where Wednesday crawls through its prickly confines.
—Daron James, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025
Give the reel handle a slow turn, pause, then another slow turn, so the eel crawls with a natural motion.
—Anthony A. Ciuffa, Outdoor Life, 7 Aug. 2025
But when her face crawls off and leaves the ICE agents scrambling to recover it, that gives Mackey and the immigrants enough time to escape.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 6 Aug. 2025
Noun
In the footage, the dog hilariously crawls under the blanket, which had slipped down the side of his crate, and ends up pulling it completely off.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Dead Bug Ab-cross crawls support overall ab strength.
—Health Editorial Team, Health, 28 Aug. 2025
The train crawls through one impressively lush landscape after another—around mountains; through valleys, jungles, forests, and tea plantations; and past thickets of palm trees waving gracefully in the humid breeze.
—Alesandra Dubin, AFAR Media, 25 Aug. 2025
Powerful waves of 15 to 20 feet are expected to slam beaches, especially in North Carolina, for 48 hours or more as the hurricane crawls northward offshore through at least Thursday.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025
The interior required a separate build to support a climactic sequence where Wednesday crawls through its prickly confines.
—Daron James, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025
Give the reel handle a slow turn, pause, then another slow turn, so the eel crawls with a natural motion.
—Anthony A. Ciuffa, Outdoor Life, 7 Aug. 2025
But when her face crawls off and leaves the ICE agents scrambling to recover it, that gives Mackey and the immigrants enough time to escape.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawls
Verb
-
Unlike a broken leg or a sudden illness, hearing loss often creeps in quietly.—
Joseph Coughlin,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Bias also creeps into the data used to train these algorithms, for example when the composition of teams that guide the development of such facial recognition software lack diversity.—
Robert Pearlman,
ArsTechnica,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Maybe his rehabilitation drags.—
Dennis Lin,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The North Carolina General Assembly returned Tuesday for the first time since last month, as a budget stalemate between the House and Senate drags on.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The brand’s giant green owl mascot dances badly, makes obscure pop culture references and pokes fun at the company’s push notifications.—
Leeron Walter,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Like his contemporaries, Meyers often pokes fun at the ongoing actions of the president and his administration on Late Night.—
Emlyn Travis Updated,
EW.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The movie is a tour de force In IMAX, the format’s large screen and huge sound a perfect partner for the purple one’s charisma, which positively bursts off the screen.—
Benny Har-Even,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Third Thursdays bring the festive Art Walk, when the district bursts with local art, live music, and technicolor vibes.—
Carrie Honaker,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The Cowboys are no strangers to early-season weather delays in Pennsylvania.—
Saad Yousuf,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Bieber himself was aware of the anxiety over the delays and posted a couple messages on his Instagram that there seemed to be a technical delay of some sort.—
Abid Rahman,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Originating in the Tibetan Plateau, the Nujiang River snakes its way through southern China andeventually flows into Myanmar.—
Lauren Liebhaber
September 2,
Miami Herald,
2 Sep. 2025
-
The route then snakes through the landscape near Ndabaka Gate in the national park; expect gravel roads and gently paved tarmac, as well as zebras, giraffes, and buffalo.—
Chloe Arrojado,
AFAR Media,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Because global air travel shuffles millions of people around the world daily, an outbreak of a very contagious disease anywhere can become a threat everywhere.—
Amy E. Stambach,
The Conversation,
12 Aug. 2025
-
With Noni Madueke doubled up on out wide, Zubimendi shuffles backwards to receive the pass, and then fires a pass into Martin Odegaard, breaking the first two lines of the opposition’s 4-4-2 defensive block.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Blur left audiences stunned and speechless, a hybrid of theater and XR that lingers as memory more than story.—
Charlie Fink,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The tension lingers throughout the meal, leaving the family divided.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crawls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawls. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share