crawl

[ krawl ]

/ krɔl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR crawl ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to 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.

verb (used with object)

to visit or frequent a series of (especially bars): to crawl the neighborhood pubs.

Also spider. Digital Technology. to retrieve (data) from a website using a computer program, as in order to index web pages for a search engine: Search engines are constantly crawling the web.

noun

act of crawling; a slow, crawling motion.

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.

Nearby words

crawdad, crawdaddy, crawfish, crawford, crawfordsville, crawl, crawler, crawler lane, crawler track, crawley, crawling

Origin of crawl

1150–1200; Middle English crawlen < Old Norse krafla; compare Danish kravle “to crawl, creep”

Related forms

crawl·ing·ly, adverb

Can be confused

craw crawl

Synonym study

1. Crawl, creep refer to methods of moving like reptiles or worms, or on all fours. They are frequently interchangeable, but crawl is used of a more prostrate movement than creep : A dog afraid of punishment crawls toward his master. Creep expresses slow progress: A child creeps before walking or running.

Definition for crawl (2 of 2)

crawl

[ krawl ]

/ krɔl /

noun Chiefly South Atlantic States.

an enclosure in shallow water on the seacoast, as for confining fish, turtles, etc.: a crab crawl.

Origin of crawl

1650–60; < Dutch kraal < Spanish corral corral; cf. kraal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for crawl

“Now get on your knees and crawl,” he demanded with the slap of a leather horse crop against the palm of his hand.
Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix|Justin Jones|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Klain is not the first to crawl out of the swamp of Biden World on to the larger stage.
Where There’s Trouble, You’ll Usually Find Joe Biden|Lloyd Green|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Social media is heavily censored, with Instagram blocked and access to various websites operating at a crawl.
Occupy Hong Kong Hangs On|Lennox Samuels|September 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
John Huston recalls in his autobiography, An Open Book, a time when he asked Mitchum to crawl across the grass on his elbows.
The Stacks: Mr. Bad Taste and Trouble Himself: Robert Mitchum|Robert Ward|July 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In the 20th century, we learned that we could crawl inside of a photograph and find ourselves.
New Getty Retrospective On Minor White’s Metamorphosing Camera|Sarah Bay Williams|July 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rome may crawl and whimper at your feet—I, Cornelia, scorn you!
Quintus Claudius, Volume 2 of 2|Ernst Eckstein
Say to my cousin that I must have Aunt Eliza, if she has to crawl here on her hands and knees.
The Quickening|Francis Lynde
They had been left wounded and had been unable to crawl away from the blazing grass.
A Yeoman's Letters|P. T. Ross
When the poor fellow tried to crawl out of the log, he was unable to do so!
Chatterbox, 1906|Various
I think that hole is about big enough for them to crawl out.
Grapes of wrath|Boyd Cable

British Dictionary definitions for crawl (1 of 2)

crawl

/ (krɔːl) /

verb (intr)

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 laboriouslythe 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 creaturesthe pile of refuse crawled with insects

(of insects, worms, snakes, etc) to move with the body close to the ground

to swim the crawl

noun

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

Derived Forms

crawlingly, adverb

Word Origin for crawl

C14: probably from Old Norse krafla to creep; compare Swedish kravla, Middle Low German krabbelen to crawl, Old Norse krabbi crab 1

British Dictionary definitions for crawl (2 of 2)

crawl

/ (krɔːl) /

noun

an enclosure in shallow, coastal water for fish, lobsters, etc

Word Origin for crawl

C17: from Dutch kraal kraal

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