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
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
For my microgeneration, the disillusionment crept in with the savage failure of the Iraq War.
—
Christopher Hooks,
Harpers Magazine,
23 June 2026
Separately, Miami-Dade received another $7 million in federal dollars just for World Cup transportation costs — an expense that has crept higher in the two years since the Host Committee originally floated the $46 million subsidy package for Miami-Dade to cover World Cup security and logistics.
—
Douglas Hanks
june 17,
Miami Herald,
17 June 2026
Flames crept across a Rio Linda meadow Tuesday as firefighters from three agencies intentionally set fire to 35 acres of dry grass — not to battle a wildfire, but to prevent one.
—
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
Every day, the snow crept farther down the mountains, and as the horses waded the creeks, ice froze on their tails and bellies.
—
Dolores Brown,
Outdoor Life,
17 June 2026
The heat of summer has crept back to Milwaukee.
—
Blaise Mesa,
jsonline.com,
17 June 2026
Mold quickly crept across the fabric.
—
Beatrice Peterson,
ABC News,
14 June 2026
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
For my microgeneration, the disillusionment crept in with the savage failure of the Iraq War.
—
Christopher Hooks,
Harpers Magazine,
23 June 2026
Separately, Miami-Dade received another $7 million in federal dollars just for World Cup transportation costs — an expense that has crept higher in the two years since the Host Committee originally floated the $46 million subsidy package for Miami-Dade to cover World Cup security and logistics.
—
Douglas Hanks
june 17,
Miami Herald,
17 June 2026
Flames crept across a Rio Linda meadow Tuesday as firefighters from three agencies intentionally set fire to 35 acres of dry grass — not to battle a wildfire, but to prevent one.
—
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
Every day, the snow crept farther down the mountains, and as the horses waded the creeks, ice froze on their tails and bellies.
—
Dolores Brown,
Outdoor Life,
17 June 2026
The heat of summer has crept back to Milwaukee.
—
Blaise Mesa,
jsonline.com,
17 June 2026
Mold quickly crept across the fabric.
—
Beatrice Peterson,
ABC News,
14 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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Yet, the same themes of access and power have lingered around the presidency in the eight decades since.
-
The claim that creatine causes hair loss has lingered since 2009, shaping decisions for gym-goers and athletes weighing whether to add it to their routine.
Verb
-
Chelsea Green crawled from under the ring and evened the odds.
-
The animal eventually crawled under a dock.
Verb
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But as the crisis dragged on over six days and pressure from the families of the hostages grew, Israeli leaders gradually became more open to talks, according to a summary of the files released by the Israel State Archives.
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Around Christmas 2024 the Estlink 2 cable between Finland and Estonia went down after a shadow-fleet tanker, the Eagle S, dragged its anchor across the seabed.
Verb
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The theory here is that avarice and ambition can best be defeated by means of somebody else’s avarice and ambition; power’s inevitable corrupting effect is thereby mitigated or delayed.
-
Automatic contributions, delayed payment windows, small rituals that add friction to impulse spending — these are all behavioral architecture moves, not acts of self-denial.
Verb
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When Costco asked for a photograph, Ellinger slid into a tattoo parlor chair and turned the little white lie into a permanent reality.
-
Breakker followed Rollins atop the ropes, but Seth bit Bron, who slid down the ropes temporarily.
Verb
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The resulting 6° to 7° C of global warming shuffled the makeup of plant and dinosaur species on land and caused a mass extinction of corals and other marine species.
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The company has since shuffled several leaders, including naming a new human resources chief and the company’s first chief digital officer.
Verb
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Griffin also poked at the cohosts in the immediate aftermath of Hasselbeck and former View moderator Rosie O'Donnell's legendary on-air fight in 2007, as Griffin was a guest host the following day and brought up the incident numerous times — which annoyed Walters in the moment.
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Late in the third, the Knights seemed to retake the lead after Pavel Dorofeyev poked home a loose puck.
Cite this Entry
“Crept.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crept. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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