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.
was crawling
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past progressiveof crawl.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
"He was crawling down," Pemba Sherpa of 8K Expeditions, which was overseeing search and rescue efforts, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
To watch the video captured by the track’s cameras and shared with me in a glossy digital package, I was crawling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2025
Another significant finance minister told me of his global counterparts that "no one was crawling to the Americans" given the unbeatable effectiveness of the US having to negotiate with its own bond market.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2025
The spider was already living in your house, and it was crawling towards the drain.
From National Geographic ● Jan. 12, 2024
Emily was crawling around the base of a tree, the knees of her jeans soaked and chilly, and felt a twinge of guilt remembering their fight.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
