crawl
[verb]
Synonyms:
- creep, advance slowly, inch, slither, worm one's way, wriggle, writhe
- grovel, creep, fawn, humble oneself, toady
- be full of, be alive, be overrun (slang), swarm, teem

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Related Words: grovel, worm

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. crawl¹ /krɔːl $ krɒːl/ verb [intransitive]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old Norse; Origin: krafla]

1. to move along on your hands and knees with your body close to the ground
crawl along/across etc
The baby crawled across the floor.

2. if an insect crawls, it moves using its legs
crawl over/up etc
There’s a bug crawling up your leg.

3. crawl into/out of bed to get into or out of bed slowly because you are very tired:
We crawled into bed at 2 am.

4. if a vehicle crawls, it moves forward very slowly
crawl by/along etc
The traffic was crawling along.

5. British English informal to be too pleasant or helpful to someone in authority, especially because you want them to help you – used in order to show disapproval
crawl to
She’s always crawling to the boss.

6. be crawling with something to be completely covered with insects, people etc:
The floor was crawling with ants.
The whole place was crawling with cops.

7. crawl the Net/web if a computer program crawls the Net, it quickly searches the Internet to find the particular information you need ⇒ spider:
robots that crawl the net searching out e-mail addresses for junk mailing

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. crawl² noun [singular]

1. a very slow speed:
The traffic had slowed to a crawl.

2. the crawl a way of swimming in which you lie on your stomach and move one arm, and then the other, over your head ⇒ backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

crawl
noun
I. very slow speed
ADJ. slow
PREP. at a ~ The traffic was moving at a slow crawl.
VERB + CRAWL be down to The traffic on the motorway was down to a crawl.
slow (down) to

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

crawl
II. swimming stroke
 ⇒ Note at STROKE

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

crawl
verb
ADV. slowly | about, along, around/round, away, back, fowards, through We spent an hour crawling around on our hands and knees looking for the key.
VERB + CRAWL manage to As night fell, we managed to crawl back to our lines.
start to Has the baby started to crawl yet?
PREP. across, along, into, over, out of, under, up There's an insect crawling up your leg!
PHRASES crawl on (your) hands and knees

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲