1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

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
  • Our educators have spent years showing up for Broward’s children.
    — Roberto Fernandez III, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
  • But when Emma never shows up to their meeting, Pao and Dante will have to go on an epic quest— filled with awkward moments, sarcasm, and somewhat reluctant friendships—to save their best friend.
    — Kavya Dhillon, Parents, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of show up
Verb
  • For 718 days, as one season gave way to the next and search after search turned up empty, Nancy Tucker remained missing.
    — Brady Dennis, Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The mutation, called eGFR T790M, turned up in about 1 of every 15,850 people.
    — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 18 Sep. 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 22 Sep. 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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nemesis

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
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
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All