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

There’s a possibility that oil prices could climb even higher if the strait doesn’t reopen, Razaqzada said — and if oil stays high, inflation risks will start creeping back into focus and ultimately hurt risk appetite.

From MarketWatch

“The dollar is creeping higher again and bond yields are holding steady—neither of which typically helps gold,” the analyst adds.

From The Wall Street Journal

Shoving away the queasy feeling that’s creeping into my gut, I slip my weekend essentials into my backpack along with my Moleskine sketchbook, my drawing pencils, and my chemistry textbook.

From Literature

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

From BBC

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

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• climbing
• spreading