creepy-crawly
Americannoun
-
creepy-crawlies
plural
adjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of creepy-crawly
First recorded in 1855–60; see origin at creep, crawl 1, -y 1
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:
In the jungle, Nella has screamed her way through creepy-crawly and snake-infested bush tucker trials.
From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2023
“We applied this effect called UV Crawl, which is a texture movement along the vines of Vecna’s body to give it this eerie sense of creepy-crawly vine movement,” says Maher.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2022
Then, taking charge, she dispatched bursts of brittle chords, tossed off creepy-crawly runs and kept bringing out both the sweetly melodic and industriously steely elements of the three-movement work.
From New York Times ● Oct. 7, 2021
While suspenseful, this creepy-crawly tale had a disappointedly predictable ending.
From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2018
“I don’t like creepy-crawly things. Spiders. Roaches. Crawdads.”
From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine
Officials now have the unenviable task of euthanising the creepy-crawlies, an insect so hardy it spawned an urban legend they could survive a nuclear blast.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
Ms. Wimpenny, a British zoologist, aims to rehabilitate creepy-crawlies, predators and even, somewhat, real and presumed disease carriers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
It’s been a busy few weeks in the news in so very many ways, including for science stories about creepy-crawlies and other unsightly animals that make most people—unfairly—recoil in horror.
From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2024
Greece has not recorded any major trouble with the blood-sucking creepy-crawlies that recently caused consternation in France.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 6, 2023
I’m so busy checking for snakes and other creepy-crawlies that I bump into Ma when she stops suddenly.
From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
