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Synonyms

creeping

American  
[kree-ping] / ˈkri pɪŋ /

noun

  1. Slang. the act or practice of following someone persistently or stealthily, especially online.

    Twitter and LinkedIn creeping is a normal part of my day.

adjective

  1. advancing or developing gradually so as to infringe on or supplant something else.

    creeping inflation;

    creeping socialism.

Etymology

Origin of creeping

creep + -ing 1

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.

"There is a degree of scepticism, or even downright cynicism, creeping in at the edges," he says.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Ruger said it adopted the poison pill to guard against a potential creeping takeover.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

The longer it takes for the crucial maritime waterway to be fully open, the greater the risk of oil prices creeping higher, said Zahir.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026

Drivers had to burn gas to find gas, creeping from station to station, looking for the green flags that meant “open,” not the red flags that signaled “closed” or “out of gas.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

I stood there a moment longer before turning back to my own door and creeping into the dorm.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.