creep up on somebody/something phrasal verb (see also creep)

1. to surprise someone by walking up behind them silently:
Don’t yell – let’s creep up on them and scare them.

2. if a feeling or idea creeps up on you, it gradually increases:
The feeling she had for Malcolm had crept up on her and taken her by surprise.

3. to seem to come sooner than you expect:
Somehow, the end of term had crept up on us.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

creep up on
• creep up on (someone or something)
to crawl quietly toward someone or something
The thief crept up on the elderly woman in the supermarket.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

creep up on something
• creep up on (someone or something)
to crawl quietly toward someone or something
The thief crept up on the elderly woman in the supermarket.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

creep up on
v.
1. To crawl towards; move along near the ground; steal cautiously towards so as not to be seen or noticed.
The mouse did not see the snake creeping up on it over the rocks.
Indians were creeping up on the house through the bushes.
2. or sneak up on To come little by little; arrive slowly and unnoticed.
The woman's hair was turning gray as age crept up on her.
Winter is creeping up on us little by little.
The boys didn't notice the darkness creeping up on them while they were playing.
Compare: COME OVER.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

creep up on someone
• creep up on (someone or something)
to crawl quietly toward someone or something
The thief crept up on the elderly woman in the supermarket.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲