crouched; crouching; crouches

intransitive verb

1
a
: to lower the body stance especially by bending the legs
The sprinter crouched and was ready to go.
b
: to lie close to the ground with the legs bent
… a pair of cats, crouching on the brink of a fight.Aldous Huxley
2
: to bend or bow servilely : cringe
3
: to stand at a low height
Cottages crouched along the river.

transitive verb

: to bow especially in humility or fear : bend
The dog crouched its head.
crouch noun

Examples of crouch in a Sentence

She crouched down, trying to get a closer look at the spider. The lion crouched in the tall grass, waiting to attack the gazelle.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
During the battle, viewers saw a cameraman crouching in the corner for the shot. Esther Kang, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025 The deputies spotted the drag trail through the brush and followed it to the cat, still crouched over Taylen’s body. Malcolm Brooks Malcolm Hillgartner Krish Seenivasan Zak Mouton, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024 In recent years, the tradition—which involves some iteration of eating exactly 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight, often while crouched under a table—has become something of a viral sensation. Christina Pérez, Vogue, 29 Dec. 2024 Daily missed a wide-open Casey Reynolds in the end zone, a chance that had the senior from Texas crouched over with his head in his hands. Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 14 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for crouch 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of crouch was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near crouch

Cite this Entry

“Crouch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crouch. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

crouch

verb
: to stoop or bend low with the arms and legs close to the body
crouch noun

More from Merriam-Webster on crouch

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!