1
as in encroached
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits
water crept slowly over the top of the tub and onto the floor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in lingered
to move or act slowly
that Friday afternoon we were just creeping, waiting for the bell to sound so that we could start the long weekend
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
as in dragged
to move slowly
the class hour seems to creep by
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crept
Stocks were lower Tuesday afternoon on the uncertain outlook for a deal, while oil prices crept higher, with West Texas Intermediate crude futures topping $117 per barrel at one point.
—
Darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2026
Then the shitposting and internet personas crept off the web and into the center of our politics.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
And yet, in the final seconds, against the surging and motivated Houston Rockets, something irrational crept back in.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026
But the influence of drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound has crept in.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
Then, noticing changes in the wind and the rocking of the boat, an uneasiness crept over the veteran seaman.
—Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
Over recent decades, the average retirement age has crept steadily up.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Less than a month after Mark Zuckerberg made a fashion week cameo on Prada’s front row in Milan, Meta has crept back into the fashion conversation.
—Amy O’Brien, Vogue, 30 Mar. 2026
Over-aggression crept into multiple areas of their approach.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 29 Mar. 2026
Darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2026
Then the shitposting and internet personas crept off the web and into the center of our politics.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
And yet, in the final seconds, against the surging and motivated Houston Rockets, something irrational crept back in.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026
But the influence of drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound has crept in.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
Then, noticing changes in the wind and the rocking of the boat, an uneasiness crept over the veteran seaman.
—Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
Over recent decades, the average retirement age has crept steadily up.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Less than a month after Mark Zuckerberg made a fashion week cameo on Prada’s front row in Milan, Meta has crept back into the fashion conversation.
—Amy O’Brien, Vogue, 30 Mar. 2026
Over-aggression crept into multiple areas of their approach.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 29 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crept
Verb
-
On their endless search for nutrients, hyphae encroached into empty spaces.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
6 Apr. 2026
-
But ever since, the family has alleged individuals have encroached on their beach, forcing them to put up no trespassing signs and hire private security, according to a supplemental complaint filed by Brian against the Walton County Sheriff’s Office last year.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Though Ducharme never had to miss extended time in her redshirt senior year, the impacts of the head and neck injuries lingered.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
15 Apr. 2026
-
My worries lingered but co-existed with the calm.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Margot, who works for a social-media platform called Kino and shares a New Orleans apartment with her bestie, Ryan (Aaron Holliday), has only just crawled out of a dark period and doesn’t require much to teeter back in.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
-
As a toddler, Gabriela crawled about the UCLA clubhouse at reunions.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Families of the victims grew doubtful that their killer would ever be caught as the investigation dragged on for more than a decade.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Milne had grabbed his wife by the neck, choked her, dragged her around, restrained her, punched her and knocked her unconscious.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The start of the game was delayed 18 minutes because of rain.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The probe was delayed from 2022, and headed for the asteroid Psyche, using a Mars-gravity assist and not arriving until August 2029.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
When Holloway pulled the puck back to his forehand to finish into the empty net, he was robbed by Morrissey, who had slid desperately to his left like a street hockey goalie to make a shocking stick save.—
Murat Ates,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
In just seconds, those pesky signs of aging were nearly invisible, and my makeup slid over them instead of sinking in.—
Cathy Nelson,
InStyle,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For weeks, Isaiah Mosley shuffled into the morning chaos of the Miami criminal courthouse.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Born from the embers of the eighties band Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, led by the singer and guitarist Amelia Fletcher, shuffled forward with her riffy, effervescent playing style, gradually growing more sophisticated across four LPs and an EP, without any loss of buoyancy.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Officers poked a hole in the bag and found the elder Ordonez's body.—
Annasofia Scheve,
San Antonio Express-News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Back in February 2025, Duff poked fun at her daughter Mae, mixing some mischief in her Valentine's Day post.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crept.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crept. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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