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
as in crawled
to move slowly with the body close to the ground
the kitten crept silently across the floor before suddenly pouncing on the mouse
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
-
Still, the conversation lingered in his mind.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
-
But since the beginning of the year, inventory has grown nationwide as a result of more sellers coming into the market and buyers withdrawing from it due to rising housing costs, including stubbornly high mortgage rates, which have lingered between 6 percent and 7 percent for the past three years.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Modern Wall Street has killed just about everything cool that walks or crawled at one time or another.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The van’s driver then crawled out of his vehicle’s window, crossed over a median and was instantly struck by a car speeding in the opposite direction, which was broadcast by the news helicopter following the chase.—
Brian Niemietz,
Mercury News,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As biologists began to accept that the smallest of the whales had perished, the rescue work dragged past its second week.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The Americas slipped 2%, dragged by softer performance in department stores.—
Maliha Shoaib,
Vogue,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Hamas has said the process of recovering them has been delayed by the extent of destruction in the territory, while the Hostages and Missing Families Forum accuses the group of deliberately withholding information.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Travelers whose flights are delayed or canceled may be eligible for compensation or refunds, depending on the nature of the disruption.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Saudi Arabia's oil revenue slid 24% in the first half of 2025 from a year earlier.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Takaichi, whose party commands a minority government and has slid in successive elections, has little room for error during her tenure.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And after Paulsen’s five seasons in Washington, several of those Shanahan-tree coaches indeed shuffled Paulsen from building to building, staff to staff.—
Jourdan Rodrigue,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Backpacks borne and carry-ons in tow, travelers at Miami International Airport shuffled through serpentine security lines on Friday.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Lovato poked fun at herself, dressing as a meme from 2014.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Marcus poked out his bottom lip, but no whining this time.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crept.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crept. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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