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
His style-forward approach worked well in the service of his bonkers Liberace biopic, “Behind the Candelabra,” and the creepy-crawly period hospital series “The Knick.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2023
During some sequences, particularly those that center a creepy-crawly menace called a Shredder, I was tempted to cover my eyes.
From New York Times ● Sep. 15, 2021
Picture Rob Dunn approaching his publisher: “I have an idea for a book about all the tiny insects, bacteria, and other creepy-crawly things that live in our homes.”
From Washington Post ● Dec. 14, 2018
I'm pretty sure that my makeshift bed has fleas, if the creepy-crawly sensation over my skin is any indication.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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
But we live in a world of creepy-crawlies; we mammals just happen, in this geological era, to be sharing some of their ecological space.
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
Behind them came the bulk of the army—a black sea of creepy-crawlies.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
