51Թ

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View synonyms for

crawl

1

[krawl]

verb (used without object)

  1. to move in a prone position with the body resting on or close to the ground, as a worm or caterpillar, or on the hands and knees, as a young child.

  2. (of plants or vines) to extend tendrils; creep.

  3. to move or progress slowly or laboriously.

    The line of cars crawled behind the slow-moving truck.

    The work just crawled until we got the new machines.

  4. to behave in a remorseful, abject, or cringing manner.

    Don't come crawling back to me asking for favors.

  5. to be, or feel as if, overrun with crawling things.

    The hut crawled with lizards and insects.

  6. Ceramics.(of a glaze) to spread unevenly over the surface of a piece.

  7. (of paint) to raise or contract because of an imperfect bond with the underlying surface.



verb (used with object)

  1. to visit or frequent a series of (similar businesses, especially bars).

    to crawl the neighborhood pubs.

  2. Digital Technology.to digitally survey (websites) using a computer program, as in order to index web pages for a search engine.

    Search engines are constantly crawling the web.

noun

  1. the act of crawling; a slow, crawling motion.

  2. the visiting of a series of similar businesses, especially bars.

    a beer crawl;

    a museum crawl.

  3. a slow pace or rate of progress.

    Traffic slowed to a crawl.

  4. Swimming.a stroke in a prone position, characterized by alternate overarm movements combined with the flutter kick.

  5. Television, Movies.titles that slowly move across a screen, providing information.

crawl

2

[krawl]

noun

Chiefly South Atlantic States.
  1. an enclosure in shallow water on the seacoast, as for confining fish, turtles, etc..

    a crab crawl.

crawl

1

/ ɔː /

verb

  1. to move slowly, either by dragging the body along the ground or on the hands and knees

  2. to proceed or move along very slowly or laboriously

    the traffic crawled along the road

  3. to act or behave in a servile manner; fawn; cringe

  4. to be or feel as if overrun by something unpleasant, esp crawling creatures

    the pile of refuse crawled with insects

  5. (of insects, worms, snakes, etc) to move with the body close to the ground

  6. to swim the crawl

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a slow creeping pace or motion

  2. Also called: Australian crawl. front crawl.swimming a stroke in which the feet are kicked like paddles while the arms reach forward and pull back through the water

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

crawl

2

/ ɔː /

noun

  1. an enclosure in shallow, coastal water for fish, lobsters, etc

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • crawlingly adverb
  • ˈɱԲ adverb
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of crawl1

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English craulen, crallen, from Old Norse krafla; compare Danish kravle “to crawl, creep”

Origin of crawl2

First recorded in 1650–60; from Dutch kraal, from Spanish corral corral; kraal
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of crawl1

C14: probably from Old Norse krafla to creep; compare Swedish kravla, Middle Low German krabbelen to crawl, Old Norse krabbi crab 1

Origin of crawl2

C17: from Dutch kraal kraal
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Synonym Study

Crawl, creep refer to methods of moving like reptiles or worms, or on all fours. They are frequently interchangeable, but crawl is used of a more prostrate movement than creep : A dog afraid of punishment crawls toward his master. Creep expresses slow progress: A child creeps before walking or running.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In cities, she found, these lizards evolved longer legs relative to their body size, allowing them to crawl up metal pipes.

From

Overpowered by Ukrainian forces just hours later, Kurashov and the other survivors crawled out of the foxholes and surrendered.

From

"I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out," Vishwashkumar Ramesh told Indian state media DD News.

From

Soon, the flames crawled up a tall juniper bush planted on the side of the home, spreading flames onto the exterior wall and roof, shortly before a wood fence burst into flames.

From

Some examples include installing rain gutter covers to keep dead leaves from accumulating, avoiding flammable siding and ensuring that vents have screens to prevent embers from getting into the attic or crawl space.

From

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When To Use

What does crawl mean?

To crawl is to move along, close to the ground, either by wriggling the body or using hands and knees, as in The baby crawled along the floor on her hands and knees.Many types of animals crawl along the ground, such as worms, caterpillars, and snakesTo crawl also means to creep or to extend tendrils, like a vine up a ladder.More generally, to crawl means to move slowly or with a lot of effort, as in School was so boring today that the time just crawled along.To crawl also means to visit a series of similar businesses, most commonly bars or pubs. A pub crawl is an event during which participants will visit several pubs, one after another.Example: The traffic slowed to a crawl on my way home from work because of an accident.

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