creep
verb (used without object)
to move slowly with the body close to the ground, as a reptile or an insect, or a person on hands and knees.
had been creeping
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past perfect progressiveof creep.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
“Not everyone expected brenso to work…but expectations had been creeping up into year-end and this afternoon’s negative phase 2 readout is undoubtedly a near-term setback for the story,” Brayer wrote in a research note.
From Barron's ● Dec. 18, 2025
Before Ueda’s recent comments, some doubt about the timing of the next BOJ rate increase had been creeping in as a change of government raised the possibility of policy shifts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
She said while the number of mortgage repossessions had been creeping up in recent years, the current levels remained "historically low".
From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2025
The vote of confidence is important, given that some doubts had been creeping in lately.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 11, 2025
The Dancing Fan had been creeping up on Dad, a relentless Borg drone determined to assimilate us both, but as soon as he glanced at it, it stopped moving.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
