Dictionary.com
definitions

crept

[krept]
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR crept ON THESAURUS.COM

verb

simple past tense and past participle of creep.

RELATED CONTENT

Snuck or SneakedYou may have heard that snuck as the past tense of sneak is improper English, but does this designation hold water? Like leaked as the past tense of leak, sneaked was the original past tense and past participle for sneak, which means “to move in a stealthy or furtive manner.” Used as early as the late 1800s, snuck has become the standard variant past tense …
READ MORE
Where Does the Month of June Get Its Name?For students and teachers alike, June is often their favorite month. School’s out, and the days are long. But where did the first month of summer get its name? In Old English, this month was often referred to as simply “midsummer month.” It also may have been called “sere-month,” meaning “dry and withered,” though this term may have meant June, July or August. Where does …
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

slither, glide, slink, lurk, sneak, tiptoe, wriggle, snake, inch, pussyfoot, squirm, insinuate, skulk, writhe, grovel, edge, gumshoe, steal, scramble, worm

Nearby words

  1. crepitate,
  2. crepitation,
  3. crepitus,
  4. crepon,
  5. creps,
  6. crepuscular,
  7. crepuscular ray,
  8. crepuscule,
  9. crepy,
  10. cres
Can be confusedcrap crape crepe crêpe, crept

creep

[kreep]

verb (used without object), crept, creep·ing.

to move slowly with the body close to the ground, as a reptile or an insect, or a person on hands and knees.
to approach slowly, imperceptibly, or stealthily (often followed by up): We crept up and peeked over the wall.
to move or advance slowly or gradually: The automobile crept up the hill. Time just seems to creep along on these hot summer days.
to sneak up behind someone or without someone's knowledge (usually followed by up on): The prisoners crept up on the guard and knocked him out.
to enter or become evident inconspicuously, gradually, or insidiously (often followed by in or into:) The writer's personal bias occasionally creeps into the account.
to move or behave timidly or servilely.
to grow along the ground, a wall, etc., as a plant.
to advance or develop gradually so as to infringe on or supplant something else.
Slang.
  1. to flirt with or make persistent sexual advances toward someone (often followed by on): He creeps on all the women he meets.
  2. to cheat on one’s sexual partner: He caught his wife creepin' with the guy who lives next-door.
Slang. to follow someone persistently or stealthily, as on a social media website (often followed by on): He spends a lot of time creeping on her Facebook profile.
Slang. to suddenly intrude into someone’s photograph as it is being taken: Who’s that creeping in the background of the picture?
to slip, slide, or shift gradually; become displaced.
(of a metal object) to become deformed, as under continuous loads or at high temperatures.
Nautical. to grapple (usually followed by for): The ships crept for their anchor chains.

verb (used with object), crept, creep·ing.

Slang. to follow persistently or stealthily, especially online: I’ve been creeping her blog and found some great recipes.
Archaic. to creep along or over.

noun

an act or instance of creeping: It seems as if time has slowed to a creep.
Slang. an obnoxious, disturbingly eccentric, deviant, or painfully introverted person.
Slang. an intelligence or counterintelligence agent; spy.
Slang. creeper(def 10).
a gradual or inconspicuous increase, advance, change, or development: Avoid jargon creep in your writing. We are seeing the steady creep of consumerism.
Geology.
  1. the gradual movement downhill of loose soil, rock, gravel, etc.; solifluction.
  2. the slow deformation of solid rock resulting from constant stress applied over long periods.
Mechanics. the gradual, permanent deformation of a body produced by a continued application of heat or stress.
a grappling iron; grapnel.
Firearms. the slack in a trigger mechanism before it releases the firing pin.
creep feeder.
the creeps, Informal. a sensation of horror, fear, disgust, etc., suggestive of the feeling induced by something crawling over the skin: That horror movie gave me the creeps.

Origin of creep

before 900; Middle English crepen, Old English crēopan; cognate with Dutch kruipen, Old Norse krjūpa
Related formscreep·ing·ly, adverbnon·creep·ing, adjectiveout·creep, verb (used with object), out·crept, out·creep·ing.un·creep·ing, adjective

Synonym study

1. See crawl1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for crept

British Dictionary definitions for crept

crept

verb

the past tense and past participle of creep

creep

verb creeps, creeping or crept (intr)

to crawl with the body near to or touching the ground
to move slowly, quietly, or cautiously
to act in a servile way; fawn; cringe
to move or slip out of place, as from pressure or wear
(of plants) to grow along the ground or over rocks, producing roots, suckers, or tendrils at intervals
(of a body or substance) to become permanently deformed as a result of an applied stress, often when combined with heating
to develop graduallycreeping unrest
to have the sensation of something crawling over the skin
(of metals) to undergo slow plastic deformation

noun

the act of creeping or a creeping movement
slang a person considered to be obnoxious or servile
the continuous permanent deformation of a body or substance as a result of stress or heat
geology the gradual downwards movement of loose rock material, soil, etc, on a slope
a slow relative movement of two adjacent parts, structural components, etc
slow plastic deformation of metals
See also creeps

Word Origin for creep

Old English crēopan; related to Old Frisian kriāpa, Old Norse krjūpa, Middle Low German krūpen
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
Word Origin and History for crept
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with crept

creep

In addition to the idiom beginning with creep

  • creep up on

also see:

  • make one's flesh creep
  • the creeps
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.