CRAWLED Synonyms: 144 Similar and Opposite Words

crawled

verb

past tense of crawl

as in crept

to move slowly with the body close to the ground the time we had to crawl through a narrow passageway from one cave to another

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in dragged

to move slowly the weekend traffic on the road to the beach just crawled

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in lingered

to move or act slowly the deadline is fast approaching, so this is no time to crawl

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in buzzed

to be copiously supplied something must be up, as city hall is crawling with reporters

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of crawled Primus crawled from the same California soup that gave birth to a host of funk-metal acts in the 1980s, following Fishbone, Faith No More, and, most infamously, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026 Mysterio went for the Three Amigos, but Danhausen blocked the last attempt and crawled to the corner. — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026 Figures depicting the Pink Panther, Spider Man and the Minions have perched or crawled atop the Dome. — Mandalit Del Barco, NPR, 31 July 2026 One of Thursday’s stations included the ‘Confidence Course,’ where campers crawled through tight spaces and wooden obstacles in their heavy gear. — Julianna Mejia july 31, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026 Communities across Minnesota saw impressive rainfall totals on Friday as wet weather crawled across the state. — Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 31 July 2026 Flash flood warnings were then issued again for New York City and nearby states as thunderstorms crawled across the region on Tuesday afternoon and evening. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 23 July 2026 Hull testified that Robinson later returned in different clothing, walking with a limp, rolled onto the roof of a building on campus and crawled to the edge of the rooftop around the time the shot was fired. — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 10 July 2026 Their father dismounted, went down on foot, climbed the fence his son had crawled under. — Emily Ruskovich, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawled

Verb

With a practice script in hand, Shanahan has crept closer to some offensive drills.

— Cam Inman, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026
As the population grew, and construction and pollution crept closer to water sources, many springs have since dried up or receded to thin trickles.

— Umar Farooq, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of crept

Verb

There’s the Caesar salad, famously invented right here in Tijuana at Caesar’s Restaurante (now operated by the Plasencia family)—and still prepared tableside, whole leaves of romaine dragged through the decadent dressing to order.

— Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Aug. 2026
Growth in Asia was spurred by core markets like China, up 40% year-on-year and standing in contrast to the rest of the industry, where the market dragged on quarterly results.

— Ella Graveney, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of dragged

Verb

That same day, 260 miles west, the mayor of another Saskatchewan town was sitting on the end of a fishing dock when his phone buzzed with a text message.

— Zander Sherman, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026
The Navy flight that buzzed the Renton, Washington training facility on the Southeastern shore of Lake Washington lasted much of the football team's first padded practice.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of buzzed

Verb

The Playoff remains parked at 12 teams, and some G6 conferences shuffled teams, now including North Dakota State and Sacramento State.

— Jason Kirk, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Black voters were shuffled around Houston, with much of the previous 9th Congressional District becoming the new 18th District.

— Rahul Mukherjee, NPR, 23 July 2026

Definition of shuffled

Verb

According to the flight tracking website FlightAware, 45% of flights in and out of Chicago O'Hare International Airport were delayed on Tuesday, and 10% were canceled.

— CBS News, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Each step introduces friction — points where patients may be delayed, confused, or lost in the process entirely.

— Jeffrey Millstein, STAT, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of delayed

Verb

The flames that burst from each copper pipe aren’t responsible for generating the organ’s tones.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 6 Aug. 2026
The Saturday morning calm at Catalina Island Health’s two-bed emergency room was broken just before noon, when two tourists with arm injuries burst in within minutes of one another.

— Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of burst

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crawl

crawled

crawler

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Style

“Crawled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawled. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of crawled

verb

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