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
Workers crouch on starting blocks to sprint for a snack during their 30-second lunch break; characters switch actors in the middle of a take, pretending that the swap is merely a disguise.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
The sound of our leadership now makes us all crouch too low.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
Seen through this lens, the Monroe Doctrine was more a defensive crouch than the posture of a global hegemon.
From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026
I crouch down on the floor and place my ear against the door, hoping I can hear something on the other side.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
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
Etienne crouches on his popping knees beside Madame, then scurries to the telephone and speaks a few words.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
The man was crouched behind a 5-foot-tall gun safe Roebuck had purchased a few weeks earlier.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Though the main river channel lay some distance away, the surge had overflowed its banks, extending to the slope where Hamal was crouched behind a large rock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
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
The 40-year-old Ghanaian walked a few steps to the corner of the silent court room, crouched and covered his face.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
I winced as I lifted myself onto my injured knee and crouched on the last shelf below the gunner’s perch.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
About 40% of people in their 60s have some difficulty crouching, kneeling or stooping.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Attendees took cover, crouching under tables, as several loud sounds were heard in the large ballroom while guests were eating.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
The way I wrote it, I had her crouching over the pitcher and Anna Moench, as the main female writer on the show, was like, “Sonny, I don’t think you know this works.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
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
Leaving his bike propped against the wall, Alex ran farther into the yard, crouching down behind the wrecks.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
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.
