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
When the rain cleared, an American flag that covered most of the outfield was unfurled during the national anthem, and the fog slowly crept in.
—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
5 July 2026
Vozinha crept toward Messi, rather than wait on his back foot, and stuffed Messi’s right-footed shot.
—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
4 July 2026
Leaders should identify where bottlenecks crept back in, restore psychological safety around small failures, and rebuild the feedback loops that make frequent, low-risk deployment feel sustainable.
—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
Asked Monday what the best part about being back has been so far, a big smile crept across Watkins’ face.
—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 2026
Some of the absurdism of his early style has crept back into the act, coupled with an evident joy in playing around with taboo topics and landing the plane to the audience’s approval.
—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
30 June 2026
The joy crept in after Derek Hill leapt and stretched his arm over the Citi Field center field wall, then threw to the infield, saving what certainly would have been a two-run homer from Juan Soto in Friday’s first inning.
—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
27 June 2026
Daily drops of 5% and 4% were followed by a 16% slump as jitters crept into the market.
—
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
26 June 2026
On this Hornets team, which crept close to the playoffs last season but still didn’t make it for the 10th year in a row, these two first-round picks aren’t going to start right away unless someone gets hurt.
—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
24 June 2026
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
5 July 2026
Vozinha crept toward Messi, rather than wait on his back foot, and stuffed Messi’s right-footed shot.
—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
4 July 2026
Leaders should identify where bottlenecks crept back in, restore psychological safety around small failures, and rebuild the feedback loops that make frequent, low-risk deployment feel sustainable.
—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
Asked Monday what the best part about being back has been so far, a big smile crept across Watkins’ face.
—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 2026
Some of the absurdism of his early style has crept back into the act, coupled with an evident joy in playing around with taboo topics and landing the plane to the audience’s approval.
—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
30 June 2026
The joy crept in after Derek Hill leapt and stretched his arm over the Citi Field center field wall, then threw to the infield, saving what certainly would have been a two-run homer from Juan Soto in Friday’s first inning.
—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
27 June 2026
Daily drops of 5% and 4% were followed by a 16% slump as jitters crept into the market.
—
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
26 June 2026
On this Hornets team, which crept close to the playoffs last season but still didn’t make it for the 10th year in a row, these two first-round picks aren’t going to start right away unless someone gets hurt.
—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
24 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crept
Verb
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Kenya has experienced incidents of land grabbing in the past, and environmentalists have often spoken out when parks and other green spaces are encroached upon.
-
Cuba has long defended its decision to shoot down the planes, insisting that Brothers to the Rescue had encroached on the country's sovereignty.
Verb
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After being denied by Cuba, the ship approached Florida and lingered offshore, so close the passengers could see the lights of Miami.
-
Steven Rinella's symptoms, on the other hand, lingered for months, leaving him unable to walk down stairs without a handrail or to ride a bike.
Verb
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So, while the Dodgers crawled out of the hole with a season-high 17 hits, the steep cost heightens the pressure on the rest of the rotation the rest of the series.
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Unlike text or images, robotic manipulation data cannot be crawled from the internet.
Verb
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When Twain lunched with Theodore Roosevelt, he was dismayed that the president dragged in his Rough Rider exploits in Cuba three or four times.
-
The bureau said government spending, exports, consumer spending all drove real GDP growth, while imports dragged.
Verb
-
Tuesday night’s showdown with Ecuador was delayed by an hour because of lightning.
-
First, a five-year closing process delayed the project, which was supposed to be completed by 2021.
Verb
-
Ryan Mendes passed a ball through an Argentine defender’s legs on the right side of the Argentinian box to Deroy Duarte, who calmly took a touch and then slammed a shot through another defender’s legs and then slid it past Martínez into the net.
-
Tesla — Shares of Elon Musk's electric vehicle company slid 8% even after Tesla reported second-quarter deliveries that surpassed Wall Street's expectations.
Verb
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Sarah was sent to a mental hospital, and the boys were shuffled among family members, ending up with their penniless grandmother in Kentucky.
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As soon as the game wrapped up, those guests shuffled out, and hours later were replaced by a rowdier group ordering shots at the bar, dancing to 2000s hits in front of the DJ booth and smoking vape pens on the outdoor patio.
Verb
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But Ecuador’s Gonzalo Plata stuck up his left foot, just in front of Neuer, and poked the ball into the net.
-
In the third round, Magomedov poked Pereira in the eye, forcing a roughly two-minute pause, and still no point came off.
Cite this Entry
“Crept.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crept. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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