crawl
1to move in a prone position with the body resting on or close to the ground, as a worm or caterpillar, or on the hands and knees, as a young child.
(of plants or vines) to extend tendrils; creep.
to move or progress slowly or laboriously: The line of cars crawled behind the slow-moving truck.The work just crawled until we got the new machines.
to behave in a remorseful, abject, or cringing manner: Don't come crawling back to me asking for favors.
to be, or feel as if, overrun with crawling things: The hut crawled with lizards and insects.
Ceramics. (of a glaze) to spread unevenly over the surface of a piece.
(of paint) to raise or contract because of an imperfect bond with the underlying surface.
to visit or frequent a series of (similar businesses, especially bars): to crawl the neighborhood pubs.
Digital Technology. to digitally survey (websites) using a computer program, as in order to index web pages for a search engine: Search engines are constantly crawling the web.: Compare spider (def. 10).
the act of crawling; a slow, crawling motion.
the visiting of a series of similar businesses, especially bars: a beer crawl;a museum crawl.
a slow pace or rate of progress: Traffic slowed to a crawl.
Swimming. a stroke in a prone position, characterized by alternate overarm movements combined with the flutter kick.
Television, Movies. titles that slowly move across a screen, providing information.
Origin of crawl
1synonym study For crawl
Other words from crawl
- crawl·ing·ly, adverb
Words that may be confused with crawl
- craw, crawl
Other definitions for crawl (2 of 2)
an enclosure in shallow water on the seacoast, as for confining fish, turtles, etc.: a crab crawl.
Origin of crawl
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use crawl in a sentence
He cannot walk independently—he uses a wheelchair or commando crawls.
In another clip, an angel made from what appears to be molten lava crawls out of the earth.
Catatonic, he crawls on his hands and knees like an infantilized clown back to his white Lamborghini.
Why Leonardo DiCaprio, Who Wows in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street,’ Deserves to (Finally) Win An Oscar | Marlow Stern | February 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTShe crawls inside his shirt and gropes him, to deafening hoots.
Landing, she slowly crawls over the beach, raising her head, until she has found a suitable place for depositing her eggs.
In the Wilds of Florida | W.H.G. Kingston
Astaroth crawls over the cards to get the food the client holds for him, and those two wonderful intelligences are never mistaken.
Unconscious Comedians | Honore de BalzacI'll keep him and club him till he cringes and crawls at my feet.
Left on the Labrador | Dillon WallaceAlong the roadway, roughly broken into ruts, crawls a sad tram.
American Sketches | Charles WhibleyThe field which was the scene of Lady Mabel's extraordinary feat retains the name of "Crawls" to the present day.
The Mysteries of All Nations | James Grant
British Dictionary definitions for crawl (1 of 2)
/ (krɔːl) /
to move slowly, either by dragging the body along the ground or on the hands and knees
to proceed or move along very slowly or laboriously: the traffic crawled along the road
to act or behave in a servile manner; fawn; cringe
to be or feel as if overrun by something unpleasant, esp crawling creatures: the pile of refuse crawled with insects
(of insects, worms, snakes, etc) to move with the body close to the ground
to swim the crawl
a slow creeping pace or motion
Also called: Australian crawl, front crawl swimming a stroke in which the feet are kicked like paddles while the arms reach forward and pull back through the water
Origin of crawl
1Derived forms of crawl
- crawlingly, adverb
British Dictionary definitions for crawl (2 of 2)
/ (krɔːl) /
an enclosure in shallow, coastal water for fish, lobsters, etc
Origin of crawl
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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