as in huddling
to lie low with the limbs close to the body
the cat crouched in the bushes, waiting for the right moment to pounce on the chipmunk
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crouching
Social media video showed dozens of terrified elementary schoolchildren crouching down outdoors as the ground beneath them swayed violently in the province of Davao Occidental.
—
Kathleen Magramo, CNN Money, 8 June 2026
By Tuesday night, his livestream captured through a window in the building a woman rocking back and forth before crouching further down below the window.
—ABC News, 2 June 2026
Over the years, there’s been some confusion about the value of crouching down like a baseball catcher to limit your own height.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 27 May 2026
The viral moment of the banquet, captured on video and rebroadcast endlessly across Weibo, was Lei Jun walking up to a seated Musk, tapping him on the shoulder, and crouching half-down to take a selfie with him on a Xiaomi 17 Pro.
—Drew Bernstein, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
After he was hit in the left temple, Sykes, 39, could be seen crouching down on the stage.
—Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
Extra servos in the shoulders let the arms swing widely, while the leg joints allow crouching and shifting positions.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 8 May 2026
During the Civil War, popular lithographs depicted Lincoln next to the crouching Black man, and army-camp photographers posed white Union soldiers beside Black men in a similar arrangement.
—Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife advises those who come in contact with mountain lions to stay calm and remain still, never run or approach a lion and avoid crouching down or bending over.
—Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2026
Kathleen Magramo, CNN Money, 8 June 2026
By Tuesday night, his livestream captured through a window in the building a woman rocking back and forth before crouching further down below the window.
—ABC News, 2 June 2026
Over the years, there’s been some confusion about the value of crouching down like a baseball catcher to limit your own height.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 27 May 2026
The viral moment of the banquet, captured on video and rebroadcast endlessly across Weibo, was Lei Jun walking up to a seated Musk, tapping him on the shoulder, and crouching half-down to take a selfie with him on a Xiaomi 17 Pro.
—Drew Bernstein, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
After he was hit in the left temple, Sykes, 39, could be seen crouching down on the stage.
—Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
Extra servos in the shoulders let the arms swing widely, while the leg joints allow crouching and shifting positions.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 8 May 2026
During the Civil War, popular lithographs depicted Lincoln next to the crouching Black man, and army-camp photographers posed white Union soldiers beside Black men in a similar arrangement.
—Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife advises those who come in contact with mountain lions to stay calm and remain still, never run or approach a lion and avoid crouching down or bending over.
—Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crouching
Verb
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There were women like her—some Indigenous and some African-looking sorrowful in their coarse linen shifts, huddling together.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
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Executives and coaches, huddling in a hushed room, mull a decision.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
20 May 2026
Verb
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Poor Posture Poor posture, like slouching or hunching over a desk, puts constant stress on your muscles and joints.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Verywell Health,
17 Apr. 2026
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Leaning forward or hunching over the handrails—or grasping them too tightly—can reduce activation in your lower-body muscles.—
Christa Sgobba,
Health,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Mahayahay Elementary School, located in the province of Davao Occidental, shared footage on social media showing frightened students squatting on the ground and then scurrying away when a canopy roof collapsed during the quake.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
8 June 2026
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Corvette, particularly, feels outside of it all, as a woman who dreams of being a designer herself but is currently squatting in a closed fast food chicken shop and being haunted by a boulder of debt (like, literally).—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crouching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crouching. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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