creep up

verb

as in to sneak up

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 creep up That September-like chill will persist Wednesday before temperatures creep up a few more degrees, but still remain a bit cooler than normal on Thursday. — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025 As higher tariff rates continue to creep up, stagflation and even a recession become likelier, Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, told NBC News last week. — Rob Wile, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2025 The price of this tiny sports car can still creep up to six figures fairly easily, though. — ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for creep up
  1. show up
  2. turn up
Verb
  • Recovery benefits show up outside the lipedema conversation, too.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 14 July 2026
  • Especially if your friend is expressing their own anxiety and asking for help, show up for them and offer emotional support.
    — Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 13 July 2026
Definition of show up
Verb
  • When a disease-causing variant turns up, the rest of the family can be tested for that exact variant.
    — Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News, 13 July 2026
  • There were early concerns people weren’t turning up for the event because of the high ticket prices and the difficulty of obtaining visas for citizens of some countries.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
Definition of turn up

Browse Nearby Words

creeps up
creep up
creepy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Creep up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/creep%20up. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All