Crawl

/kɹɔːl/ noun, verb

noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: The act of moving slowly on hands and knees, etc.
  • Grammar: crawl is listed as noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: creep, creep, front crawl, abound.
  • Useful contrasts: danish skyde, more danish frisk, more continuous tearing.
  • Usage evidence: I'm so sorry about what I did. I wish I could just crawl into a hole and die.

How to use "crawl"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "crawl" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "crawl" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "crawl" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "crawl" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "crawl" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "creep" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "crawl", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The act of moving slowly on hands and knees, etc.
  2. 2
    A pen or enclosure of stakes and hurdles for holding fish.
  3. 3
    a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body wordnet
  4. 4
    The act of sequentially visiting a series of similar establishments (i.e., a bar crawl).
  5. 5
    a very slow movement wordnet
Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    A rapid swimming stroke with alternate overarm strokes and a fluttering kick.
  2. 7
    a swimming stroke; arms are moved alternately overhead accompanied by a flutter kick wordnet
  3. 8
    A very slow pace. figuratively

    "My computer has slowed down to a crawl since I installed that software package."

  4. 9
    A piece of horizontally or vertically scrolling text overlaid on the main image.

    "22 March 2012, Scott Tobias, AV Club The Hunger Gameshttp://www.avclub.com/articles/the-hunger-games,71293/ The opening crawl (and a stirring propaganda movie) informs us that “The Hunger Games” are an annual event in Panem, a North American nation divided into 12 different districts, each in service to the Capitol, a wealthy metropolis that owes its creature comforts to an oppressive dictatorship."

Verb
  1. 1
    To creep; to move slowly on hands and knees, or by dragging the body along the ground. intransitive

    "Clutching my wounded side, I crawled back to the trench."

  2. 2
    move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground wordnet
  3. 3
    To move forward slowly, with frequent stops. intransitive

    "The rush-hour traffic crawled around the bypass."

  4. 4
    swim by doing the crawl wordnet
  5. 5
    To act in a servile manner. intransitive

    "Don’t come crawling to me with your useless apologies!"

Show 9 more definitions
  1. 6
    show submission or fear wordnet
  2. 7
    Followed by with: see crawl with. intransitive
  3. 8
    be full of wordnet
  4. 9
    To feel a swarming sensation. intransitive

    "The horrible sight made my skin crawl."

  5. 10
    feel as if crawling with insects wordnet
  6. 11
    To swim using the crawl stroke. intransitive, transitive

    "I think I’ll crawl the next hundred metres."

  7. 12
    To move over (an area) on hands and knees. transitive

    "The baby crawled the entire second floor."

  8. 13
    To move over (an area) slowly, with frequent stops. transitive

    "They crawled the downtown bars."

  9. 14
    To visit files or web sites in order to index them for searching. Internet, transitive

    "Yahoo Search has updated its Slurp Crawler to crawl websites faster and more efficiently."

Synonyms

All synonyms
creepcreepfront crawlaboundall foursamble

Antonyms

danish skydemore danish friskmore continuous tearingmost running

Example

"I'm so sorry about what I did. I wish I could just crawl into a hole and die."

Common questions

What does "crawl" mean?

The act of moving slowly on hands and knees, etc.

What is a synonym for "crawl"?

Common synonyms include: creep, creep, front crawl, abound, all fours, amble.

How do you use "crawl" in a sentence?

I'm so sorry about what I did. I wish I could just crawl into a hole and die.

How do you pronounce "crawl"?

Pronounced /kɹɔːl/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English crawlen, crewlen, creulen, crallen, *cravelen, from Old Norse krafla (compare Danish kravle (“to crawl, creep”), Swedish kravla, kräla (“to creep, crawl”)), from Proto-Germanic *krablōną (compare Saterland Frisian krabbelje, Dutch krabbelen, German Low German krabbeln, German krabbeln), frequentative of *krabbōną (“to scratch, scrape”). Compare also Saterland Frisian krauelje (“to crawl, scuttle”), West Frisian kreauwelje (“to crawl”), Dutch krevelen, krieuwelen (“to crawl”), German Low German kribbeln, German kribbeln (“to creep, crawl, tingle”). See also crab, crabble.

Etymology 2

Compare kraal.

More for "crawl"

Synonyms

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