crawl
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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crawls,
present (3rd person singular)
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crawled,
past participle, past
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crawling
present participle
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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.
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(of plants or vines) to extend tendrils; creep.
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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.
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to behave in a remorseful, abject, or cringing manner.
Don't come crawling back to me asking for favors.
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to be, or feel as if, overrun with crawling things.
The hut crawled with lizards and insects.
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Ceramics. (of a glaze) to spread unevenly over the surface of a piece.
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(of paint) to raise or contract because of an imperfect bond with the underlying surface.
verb (used with object)
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crawls,
present (3rd person singular)
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crawled,
past participle, past
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crawling
present participle
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to visit or frequent a series of (similar businesses, especially bars).
to crawl the neighborhood pubs.
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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.
noun
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the act of crawling; a slow, crawling motion.
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the visiting of a series of similar businesses, especially bars.
a beer crawl;
a museum crawl.
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a slow pace or rate of progress.
Traffic slowed to a crawl.
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Swimming. a stroke in a prone position, characterized by alternate overarm movements combined with the flutter kick.
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Television, Movies. titles that slowly move across a screen, providing information.
noun
verb
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to move slowly, either by dragging the body along the ground or on the hands and knees
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to proceed or move along very slowly or laboriously
the traffic crawled along the road
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to act or behave in a servile manner; fawn; cringe
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to be or feel as if overrun by something unpleasant, esp crawling creatures
the pile of refuse crawled with insects
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(of insects, worms, snakes, etc) to move with the body close to the ground
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to swim the crawl
noun
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a slow creeping pace or motion
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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
noun
Usage
What does crawl mean? To crawl is to move along, close to the ground, either by wriggling the body or using hands and knees, as in The baby crawled along the floor on her hands and knees. Many types of animals crawl along the ground, such as worms, caterpillars, and snakesTo crawl also means to creep or to extend tendrils, like a vine up a ladder. More generally, to crawl means to move slowly or with a lot of effort, as in School was so boring today that the time just crawled along. To crawl also means to visit a series of similar businesses, most commonly bars or pubs. A pub crawl is an event during which participants will visit several pubs, one after another. Example: The traffic slowed to a crawl on my way home from work because of an accident.
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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crawlsimple
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crawlssimple
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have crawledperfect
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has crawledperfect
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am crawlingprogressive
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are crawlingprogressive
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is crawlingprogressive
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have been crawlingperfect progressive
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has been crawlingperfect progressive
Past
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crawledsimple
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had crawledperfect
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was crawlingprogressive
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were crawlingprogressive
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had been crawlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of crawl1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English craulen, crallen, from Old Norse krafla; compare Danish kravle “to crawl, creep”
Origin of crawl2
First recorded in 1650–60; from Dutch kraal, from Spanish corral corral; cf. kraal
Explanation
To crawl is to move slowly across the floor on your hands and knees. Before they learn to walk, most babies crawl. You might crawl around looking for a lost earring, or watch a spider crawl across your ceiling. The slow, creeping movement itself is a crawl, too: "Traffic was moving at a crawl." When your dog has fleas, he crawls with them, and if something gives you a creepy, prickling sensation, it makes your skin crawl. Crawl probably comes from the Old Norse krafla, "to claw one's way," which shares a root with crab.
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.
See Examples For:
“Farewell to Russia” reads like an epic pub crawl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Verstappen and Hamilton were the first of a number of cars that were afflicted by a software issue that left them unable to do more than crawl along.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
With the construction of homes, stadiums and other buildings throughout the county, bats have adapted to roosting in spaces such as the eaves of homes or in crawl spaces, Curti said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
One approach being tested involves robots that can crawl across the seafloor.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
I pull myself away from the door and crawl into bed.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
And sheer uncertainty abounds over how to handle raw fruits and veggies while this parasite crawls about.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
Today, dragons and dungeon crawls are common entertainments.
From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026
The Red Car line that used to service the area crawls through traffic that includes a Model T and horse-drawn carriages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
OpenAI crawls the web with bots to build an index for ChatGPT, just like Google does.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
It crawls over me and buries itself through the pores in my skin.
From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender
A woman was close by talking to him, she said, before "he jumped in and crawled in front of the tiger, where the tiger was perched and just lay there".
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
In a historic first, two olive ridley sea turtles crawled out of the sea within the second week of September and laid their eggs in pits of sand in Seal Beach and Huntington Beach.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
The hiker crawled through the night, down the remainder of Avalanche Gulch to Horse Camp Cabin, at one point removing his boots due to painful swelling, the agency said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
The play’s nadir comes at the close of the first act, when Judith suddenly returns, looking as if she has just crawled out of the Potomac, as indeed she has.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
He’d crawled in through a knothole in the wall and tried to crawl out the same way.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
The holding area begins crawling with costumed characters as clowns, bloody chefs and haunted little girls await their turn in the makeup chair.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
Imagine looking at the mirror and seeing ants crawling all over the lower part of your face.
From Slate ● Oct. 21, 2026
“I’ll have to come crawling back to the traditional entertainment industry, hoping that I still have a place there,” he added.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Lamichhane said they managed to get away by "crawling like a baby" into the hillside.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
It took all Nathan’s nerve and many deep breaths to calm his instincts to squish the spider that was crawling up his leg.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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