crawling

British

/ ˈkrɔːlɪŋ /

noun

a defect in freshly applied paint or varnish characterized by bare patches and ridging

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Oceans were filled with fish, while land was home to amphibians, early reptiles, crawling arthropods, and even giant cockroaches.

From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2026

Will the people who are crawling in get any of the money that’s showering out?

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

The report, seen by the BBC, said: "There were signs of decomposition present... maggots were seen crawling on his body."

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026

Mpoyi and Crean Lutheran traveled to Mesa, Ariz., last June and captured a bracket title at Section 7, an event crawling with college coaches.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

They were long and slim fingered, like two pale, deadly spiders crawling toward her.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023