creep up on

1. Advance slowly or stealthily, as in The cat crept up on the bird, or Autumn is creeping up on us. This expression is recorded in slightly different form——from the 15th century on. One of the Hymns to the Virgin and Christ (c. 1430) has “Now age has cropen [crept] up on me ful stille.”

Example Sentences

As we discover in Parenthood, the mother spider gives her life for her spiderlings, who, when the time is right, slowly but surely creep up on her and their other elderly relatives en masse and eat them alive... making room for the new generation.

From BBC

She's young, talented and, before "Mar-a-Lago face" started to creep up on her, she was beautiful.

From Salon

Cramps can creep up on those who misjudge their pre-match routine.

From BBC

It wasn’t unusual for a hominid child to be picked up and carried away by a harpy eagle or a sabertoothed cat to creep up on a sleeping family, grab an infant and disappear into the night.

From Salon

The heat and dryness means sweat evaporates quickly, so it’s easy for dehydration to creep up on you.

From Los Angeles Times