as in leisurely
moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed
the crawling pace of the narrative is really frustrating
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in creeping
to move slowly with the body close to the ground
the time we had to crawl through a narrow passageway from one cave to another
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in dragging
to move slowly
the weekend traffic on the road to the beach just crawled
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in poking
to move or act slowly
the deadline is fast approaching, so this is no time to crawl
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crawling
Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
These flat robots have multiple modes of movement, capable of jumping or crawling at multiple speeds.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 18 Oct. 2025
Lynne Ramsay‘s filmmaking approach involves quick thinking and fearless actors willing to trust her instincts — even when that means crawling through grass like animals with just 10 minutes’ notice.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 Oct. 2025
For example, one participant reported ants crawling on her back even as the EEG documented the fast and frequent brain waves of wakefulness.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025
Keeping a pet loose in the car can pose risks, such as small dogs crawling into the footwell and interfering with the brake or pedal, larger pets blocking your view, or, in the case of an accident, unrestrained pets could be crushed by airbags or thrown out.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Over three hours, small groups navigate a challenging underground world, scrambling over boulders, belly-crawling through narrow passages, and squeezing through tight spaces to discover hidden marble wonders.
—Heide Brandes, AFAR Media, 15 Oct. 2025
Halloween is fast approaching, and Cincinnati is crawling with some fang-tastic events this weekend.
—Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Oct. 2025
But e-commerce expert Juozas Kaziukenas noted in a LinkedIn post earlier this year that Amazon has actively worked to block Big Tech players’ LLMs from crawling its product data to show consumers.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
Tropical Storm Melissa is crawling through the Caribbean Sea, threatening to unleash life-threatening flooding and mudslides across parts of the region later this week.
—Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
These flat robots have multiple modes of movement, capable of jumping or crawling at multiple speeds.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 18 Oct. 2025
Lynne Ramsay‘s filmmaking approach involves quick thinking and fearless actors willing to trust her instincts — even when that means crawling through grass like animals with just 10 minutes’ notice.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 Oct. 2025
For example, one participant reported ants crawling on her back even as the EEG documented the fast and frequent brain waves of wakefulness.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025
Keeping a pet loose in the car can pose risks, such as small dogs crawling into the footwell and interfering with the brake or pedal, larger pets blocking your view, or, in the case of an accident, unrestrained pets could be crushed by airbags or thrown out.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Over three hours, small groups navigate a challenging underground world, scrambling over boulders, belly-crawling through narrow passages, and squeezing through tight spaces to discover hidden marble wonders.
—Heide Brandes, AFAR Media, 15 Oct. 2025
Halloween is fast approaching, and Cincinnati is crawling with some fang-tastic events this weekend.
—Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Oct. 2025
But e-commerce expert Juozas Kaziukenas noted in a LinkedIn post earlier this year that Amazon has actively worked to block Big Tech players’ LLMs from crawling its product data to show consumers.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawling
Adjective
-
Saturdays in West End are no longer leisurely when the Commodores are playing.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
-
While the temporary set no longer stands, fans can still visit the farm to enjoy a leisurely hike or take in the lush green landscape.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That combination of high winds and creeping progress makes Melissa both unusual and unusually dangerous.—
Sara Sneath,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
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The chill is creeping in and the flowers that once filled your summer containers may be spent, but don't put those pots away just yet.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The kitten was discovered in a parking lot tied inside a bag, dragging his back legs and covered in severe wounds.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
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When daylight savings ends next week, dragging yourself out of bed will likely feel even harder.—
Christopher Murray
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Or use your finger, poking it about 2 inches into the soil.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Matthew McConaughey is poking fun at himself.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There were flower shops spilling roses onto the sidewalk and bakery windows bursting with éclairs.—
Danielle Postel-Vinay,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
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Worries have been climbing that AI may be in the midst of a bubble, similar to the dot-com bonanza that ended up bursting in 2000.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Those taking GLP-1s showed a slower rise in breath alcohol during the first 10 to 20 minutes and lower overall levels throughout.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
26 Oct. 2025
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Researchers highlighted the current challenges for OCTOID, including slow thermal response and potential fatigue of CLCEs, and the weight of nichrome wires limiting flexibility.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Marchenko kept the heat on by stealing a page from Johnson’s book of tricks, sliding it through Silovs’ pads.—
Aaron Portzline,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
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The junior made his moment count, taking the carry all the way home before sliding in the end zone.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The technology included corrupt automatic shuffling machines that read cards and predicted which player had the best hand.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
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Card-reading contact lenses, X-ray poker tables, trays of poker chips that read cards, hacked shuffling machines that predict hands.—
Rob Wile,
NBC news,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crawling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawling. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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