Synonyms

creeps

American

[kreeps] / krips /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

Veterinary Pathology. a disease of the bones in sheep and cattle that causes pain in walking, resulting from a deficiency of phosphorus in the diet.

creeps British

/ kriːps /

plural noun

informal a feeling of fear, repulsion, disgust, etc

"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

Etymology

Origin of creeps

So called from the effect on the animal's gait; creep, -s ³

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.

This is still a relatively small number but Salesforce’s agent trajectory is an important metric as enterprise AI adoption creeps higher.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

Bomb cyclones typically occur when Arctic air creeps south and clashes with warm air, creating a storm that rapidly intensifies as its pressure suddenly drops — or “bombs out.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026

Unreliability creeps in at the edges of his storytelling, and glimpses of chaos and confusion peep through the surface charm.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

You feel it when your grocery bill creeps up.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 16, 2025

My hands grow cold and my flesh creeps; and yet the night is warm.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023