crouch
Americanverb (used without object)
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crouches,
present (3rd person singular)
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crouched,
past participle, past
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crouching
present participle
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to stoop or bend low.
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to bend close to the ground, as an animal preparing to spring or shrinking with fear.
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to bow or stoop servilely; cringe.
verb (used with object)
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crouches,
present (3rd person singular)
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crouched,
past participle, past
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crouching
present participle
noun
verb
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(intr) to bend low with the limbs pulled up close together, esp (of an animal) in readiness to pounce
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(intr) to cringe, as in humility or fear
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(tr) to bend (parts of the body), as in humility or fear
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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crouchsimple
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crouchessimple
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have crouchedperfect
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has crouchedperfect
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am crouchingprogressive
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are crouchingprogressive
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is crouchingprogressive
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have been crouchingperfect progressive
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has been crouchingperfect progressive
Past
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crouchedsimple
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had crouchedperfect
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was crouchingprogressive
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were crouchingprogressive
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had been crouchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of crouch
1175–1225; Middle English crouchen, perhaps blend of couchen to lie down ( see couch) and croken to crook 1
Explanation
To crouch is to bend your knees, pull your body in, and sit on your heels. This position is called a crouch. You might crouch down to pet a kitten or catch a baseball. The catcher in baseball stands in a low crouch, waiting for the pitch. Little kids might crouch in a closet or under a table when they play hide and seek. People crouch when they’re in a small space or to keep themselves warm. When you’re in a crouch, your body takes up less space. Crouch comes from the French crochir, "become bent or crooked," after the shape of a hook or a croche.
Vocabulary lists containing crouch
Unit 1: Telling Details
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"Raymond's Run"
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From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
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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:
Others carry the earth to a nearby seasonal river, where mostly women crouch in the murky water, washing and sifting mud and sand hoping to detect a tiny trace of the element.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
The school alarm would pierce the air and teachers would instruct us to slide from our chairs, crouch under our desks facing the floor, and place our hands, fingers interlocked, over our necks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026
At no point can a skier duck into a crouch and let gravity carry him while he catches his breath.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026
"When you crouch like this, bears often try to knock you down from the side. They flip you over to get at your face, so to prevent being turned over, spread your knees a little."
From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2025
We gather the last of our things and crouch down behind it, Manchee held twixt my knees, rain splashing everywhere.
From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness
The woman crouches, coaxing the animal with sweet compliments and a stick of sugarcane she brought with her.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
He crouches unusually low in the ring to maintain his balance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 24, 2026
On the other end of the spectrum crouches The Liver King, the subject of a recently debuted episode of Netflix’s “Untold” sports documentary series.
From Salon ● Jun. 1, 2025
A prison officer crouches down, stemming the flow.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2024
“Feel this,” says Hubert Bazin, and crouches and brings her hand to a curved wall which is completely studded with snails.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Then three soldiers climbed onto the rubble, in a line, as if in formation, and crouched down to listen.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
They quickly rushed Trump off the stage and through a back curtain as the crowd crouched in shock.
From Barron's ● Apr. 26, 2026
Seven-time world champion Shiffrin appeared to be in disbelief as she initially crossed the line but eventually crouched on her skis with her head in her hands before fist pumping towards the crowd.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
Following their lead, I crouched down and filled a copper dog with water from the fast-flowing river.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
George scooted out of the way, and Owen crouched underneath the access hatch.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Video footage from the event showed senior administration officials and cabinet secretaries, including White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, Patel and Kennedy, crouching down.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
Applegate was crouching at the scorer’s table waiting to be buzzed in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2026
Video clips of him crouching and then being whisked away from a rally in the Copperbelt province shocked Zambians and many people, irrespective of their political affiliation, condemned what happened.
From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2025
He had toiled at car washes the whole time — crouching to scrub tires, stretching to dry roofs and returning home each night with aching heels and knots in his neck.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 23, 2025
“I can help,” Amaya said, crouching beside Magdalys.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
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.
