crawls 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of crawl
1
as in creeps
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
2
as in drags
to move slowly the weekend traffic on the road to the beach just crawled

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lingers
to move or act slowly the deadline is fast approaching, so this is no time to crawl

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in bursts
to be copiously supplied something must be up, as city hall is crawling with reporters

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

crawls

2 of 2

noun

plural of crawl
as in delays

Related Words

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 crawls
Verb
Hairy-nosed wombat births are hard to spot, as after about a 30-day pregnancy, the joey crawls into its mother’s pouch. — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026 Researchers have developed a new control framework that enables humanoid robots to perform agile movements, including army crawls, breakdancing and backflips. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026 Markets do not hold still for a year and a half while your deal crawls through due diligence. — Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 Footage of the moment shows Menitoff acting as if nothing is happening as the bug crawls on her. — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 16 July 2026 Seltz’s system crawls hundreds of millions of pages a day, and returns results in under 200 milliseconds. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 24 June 2026 At sunset, the city starts glowing around you while traffic crawls silently below. — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 28 May 2026 Critics on the Croisette are starting to resemble that classic comic-strip panel in which an explorer crawls desperately across the sand toward an oasis that’s only a mirage. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2026 Leclerc crawls through the long right-hand Turn 12, where Lindblad moves ahead again. — Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawls
  1. creeps
  2. drags
  3. lingers
  4. bursts
  5. delays
  6. snakes
  7. shuffles
  8. pokes
Verb
  • With those sessions behind the team, the season creeps closer.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The polarizing quarterback will start Cleveland's exhibition opener at Chicago on Saturday — his first game action since 2024 — and Shedeur Sanders will play in the second half as the Browns' QB competition creeps toward a conclusion.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of creeps
Verb
  • Some of those embassy staff may start returning to their posts soon, however the State Department is still limiting the number of personnel in the Middle East as the war in Iran drags on.
    — Greg Dixon, NPR, 21 Aug. 2026
  • But after years of unprecedented contributions to astronomy, the forces governing the cosmos are finally taking their toll as Earth’s gravitational pull slowly drags the telescope closer towards a point of no return.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of drags
Verb
  • This separating of spheres feels particularly crucial given the embarrassment surrounding NFTs that still lingers among many art professionals.
    — Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The next chance of showers and storms arrives Thursday and lingers through the end of the workweek as much muggier-feeling weather blows back into Maryland.
    — Cutter Martin, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of lingers
Verb
  • Things quickly take a terrifying turn during surgery when a scorpion tail suddenly bursts through Perry’s back, attacking one of the surgeons mid-operation.
    — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026
  • Haaland bursts our bubble almost immediately by scoring in the opening five minutes, and Burnley miss a few good first-half chances, with striker Zian Flemming particularly culpable.
    — Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Definition of bursts
Noun
  • That includes bringing in physical and cybersecurity assistance for county clerks, mailing ballots earlier to minimize problems from delays, and creating a provision to allow the governor to declare an emergency in case of interference.
    — Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The reduction will likely worsen existing delays and exacerbate transit fees, experts say.
    — Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of delays
Verb
  • The new district snakes up through Kansas City’s urban core, in an attempt to create a district more favorable for Republicans in the 5th District.
    — Jack Harvel July 28, Kansas City Star, 28 July 2026
  • The story of McCarthy’s life was written on this winding street that snakes through a small, working-class corner of Pittsburgh where the Monongahela River bends.
    — Mike DeFabo, New York Times, 27 July 2026
Definition of snakes
Verb
  • In the clip, Dawkins shuffles out onto the field with no shirt, a pair of Crocs and a clear plastic bag ready to get the ol' inside-out treatment.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • An exhibition game also shuffles the storylines — some players emerge, others might fade.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of shuffles
Verb
  • Even in the bathrooms, the toilet and bidet are concealed inside a kind of Travertine bench and the showerhead pokes out from a monolithic stone slab.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
  • This is strong language, which pokes at our tribal memory of gasoline shortages from the 1970’s.
    — George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of pokes

Browse Nearby Words

crawling
crawls
crawlway
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Crawls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawls. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on crawls

Nglish: Translation of crawls for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of prowess

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All