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.

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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

The film lives in its details — frost creeping along the walls, carbon dioxide levels rising, improvised fixes worked out step by step — as each small success only leads to the next crisis.

From Los Angeles Times

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

But worse than that was the creeping dread.

From Literature

The season just seems to get longer every year, creeping into the spring and summer months, with awards heavyweights like “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” dropping mere months after the last Oscar ceremony.

From Los Angeles Times

The discrepancy makes for a uniquely unnerving experience, especially in a theater with a decent sound system, where every unexpected thud can feel like it’s creeping in closer and closer.

From Salon

Related Words

• climbing
• spreading