What does "creeper" mean?
A person or a thing that crawls or creeps.
Creeper
/ˈkɹipɚ/ noun, slang
noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person or a thing that crawls or creeps.
- Grammar: creeper is listed as noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: algae, autophyte, bean, bracken.
- Usage evidence: Hey, it's about time you quit it with the panty jokes. You'll put off the readers, you creeper!
How to use "creeper"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "creeper" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- 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 "creeper" 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 "creeper" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "creeper" 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 "creeper" is acting as noun, slang 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 "algae" 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 "creeper", 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 A person or a thing that crawls or creeps.
"Standing Waters[…] are most unwholesome, putrified, and full of mites, creepers, slimy, muddy, uncleane, corrupt, impure, by reason of the Suns heat, and still standing;"
- 2 any of various small insectivorous birds of the Northern Hemisphere that climb up a tree trunk supporting themselves on stiff tail feathers and their feet wordnet
- 3 Any creeping animal (such as a serpent), reptile.
- 4 a person who crawls or creeps along the ground wordnet
- 5 A one-piece garment for infants designed to facilitate access to the wearer's diaper. in-plural, often
Show 16 more definitions
- 6 any plant (as ivy or periwinkle) that grows by creeping wordnet
- 7 A device which allows a small child to safely roam around a room from a seated or standing position.
- 8 A metal plate with spikes, designed to be worn with shoes to prevent slipping.
- 9 A spur-like device strapped to the boot to facilitate climbing.
- 10 A small low iron, or dog, between the andirons. in-plural
- 11 An instrument with iron hooks or claws for dredging up items from a well or other water.
- 12 Any device for causing material to move steadily from one part of a machine to another, such as an apron in a carding machine, or an inner spiral in a grain screen.
- 13 Any plant (as ivy or periwinkle) that grows by creeping, especially a climbing plant of the genus Parthenocissus.
"Then the piglet tore loose from the creepers and scurried into the undergrowth."
- 14 A treecreeper.
- 15 Strophitus undulatus, a freshwater mussel of the eastern United States.
- 16 A small four-hooked grapnel used to recover objects dropped onto the sea bed.
- 17 The lowest gear of some tractors or trucks: one with so low a gear ratio that the vehicle creeps along at the speed of a human's slow walk.
"Throwing it in creeper and then getting out to work alongside is strictly forbidden because it is too dangerous if anything goes wrong."
- 18 A low-profile wheeled platform whereupon one may lie on one's back and gain better access to the roof of a space with very low height (such as the underbody of a vehicle), or a low stool similarly wheeled.
"If my phone rings while I'm on a creeper underneath the car with oil on my hands, well, the caller will just have to leave a voicemail."
- 19 A person who creeps people out; a creepy person. derogatory, slang
"Don't go to a nightclub to find a boyfriend. They're all creepers there."
- 20 A kind of shoe, usually with a suede upper and a thick crepe sole, associated with various 20th-century subcultures.
- 21 A ball that travels low, near ground level.
"May joined Hutton and proceeded to play masterly cricket in which the straight-drive predominated. There was always the possibility that he might be trapped by a creeper, but May watched the ball intently."
Example
"Hey, it's about time you quit it with the panty jokes. You'll put off the readers, you creeper!"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "creeper"?
Common synonyms include: algae, autophyte, bean, bracken, brown algae, climber.
How do you use "creeper" in a sentence?
Hey, it's about time you quit it with the panty jokes. You'll put off the readers, you creeper!
How do you pronounce "creeper"?
Pronounced /ˈkɹipɚ/.
Etymology
From Middle English crepere, from Old English crēopere, equivalent to creep + -er. Slang usage derived from phrase give the creeps or creep out (distinct from merely one who creeps).