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
For many parts of the country, the average date of the first fall frost has passed, and the chill of autumn nights has already crept in, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
—
Stuart Dyos, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Pain crept into the set of his mouth.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
The memories of those late-game collapses crept in when the Sabres’ 4-2 lead became 4-3 early in the third period.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
But, throughout the decades, housing developments crept toward wildlands, the climate warmed, and fires increasingly escalated into unstoppable urban conflagrations.
—Ingfei Chen, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2025
The New York City mayoral race has also crept into the race.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2025
Mary Janes have crept back into steady rotation this season.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 18 Oct. 2025
In the quiet of the Sabbath morning when all the neighborhood was wrapped in slumber, some dastardly degenerate crept into the room, choked her to death, assaulted her criminally and left her bruised and bleeding body lying on the bed.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
But in Wyoming, where the number of men who hunt has crept ever-so-slowly down, participation by women has increased 30 percent in the past 10 years, helping to hold the line.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 16 Oct. 2025
Stuart Dyos, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Pain crept into the set of his mouth.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
The memories of those late-game collapses crept in when the Sabres’ 4-2 lead became 4-3 early in the third period.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
But, throughout the decades, housing developments crept toward wildlands, the climate warmed, and fires increasingly escalated into unstoppable urban conflagrations.
—Ingfei Chen, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2025
The New York City mayoral race has also crept into the race.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2025
Mary Janes have crept back into steady rotation this season.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 18 Oct. 2025
In the quiet of the Sabbath morning when all the neighborhood was wrapped in slumber, some dastardly degenerate crept into the room, choked her to death, assaulted her criminally and left her bruised and bleeding body lying on the bed.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
But in Wyoming, where the number of men who hunt has crept ever-so-slowly down, participation by women has increased 30 percent in the past 10 years, helping to hold the line.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crept
Verb
-
The ads have now encroached into social media without proper disclosures with many online pharmacies not following the same rules that many pharmaceutical companies follow, a senior White House official said.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
-
From the deadly 2025 Los Angeles fires to the devastating 2019-2020 Australian bushfires and the 2018 wildfire in Athens, Greece, flames have increasingly encroached upon human settlements, claiming lives and livelihoods.—
Seyd Teymoor Seydi,
The Conversation,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
After improvements in passenger totals in 2021, 2022, and 2023, San Jose and Oakland both began to suffer slumps in 2024 and the weakening pattern has lingered well into 2025, a review of official airport statistics shows.—
HECTOR AMEZCUA,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Still, despite the trauma-thirsty embrace of Luke’s story from the media, the music lingered.—
Marissa R. Moss,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
One live roach crawled on the floor near the kitchen door.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Roaring out of the gates in Set 2, the Raiders mounted a commanding 10-2 lead, but the Storm went blow for blow with the Raiders and crawled back into the set.—
Andrew Cornelius,
Twin Cities,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Though some institutions have welcomed workers’ unions, others have dragged their feet.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Knocked unconscious, Will is then dragged by the Demogorgon to the lair of Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
But the bailout merely delayed the inevitable.—
MUHIB RAHMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Nov. 2025
-
Some 1,902 flights within, into or out of the United States also were delayed on Tuesday, according to FlightAware, along with the 1,210 that had been canceled.—
Kevin Shalvey,
ABC News,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
For the regions Noe oversees, the America’s slid 9 percent, while EMEA was up 4 percent.—
Kathryn Hopkins,
Footwear News,
10 Nov. 2025
-
However, Portland goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold slid out to stop the shot attempt at her foot.—
Austin White,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
In September, Spotify added the ability to free users search for and play specific songs, rather than being forced to head directly to shuffled playlists or albums, though users were limited to one song at a time before the app started to shuffle.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The Royals shuffled their hitting department after the 2025 season concluded.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Whoopi Goldberg, Emily Blunt and Natasha Lyonne were among the stars expressing their outrage, while Ryan Reynolds poked fun at Tilly in his new Mint Mobile ad.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Low branches poked at the roof of our boat and brushed our arms.—
Idra Novey,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crept.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crept. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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