crawl
verb (used without object)
to move in a prone position with the body resting on or close to the ground, as a worm or caterpillar, or on the hands and knees, as a young child.
had crawled
-
past perfectof crawl.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
Some years before the Glasgow attack, he had crawled through smoke in a burning building in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue an elderly man from a fire.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2025
The puppy had crawled into the bathroom wall through a small plumbing access door that led underneath to the bathtub where she was stuck.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2024
The first specimen known to science was collected from a logging operation in 2015, where it had crawled out of felled tree and then died.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 26, 2023
In fact, one night, the team discovered a few third instars, which have no wings and are less than an inch long, had crawled almost 215 feet away from where they’d been released.
From National Geographic ● Aug. 31, 2023
From there he had crawled some distance farther and slept under a scrub oak tree.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
