1
2
as in drags
to move slowly
the weekend traffic on the road to the beach just crawled
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lingers
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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show current usage.
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Recent Examples of crawls
Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Think about how often your toddler crawls near the dog bed or your kids toss pet toys around the living room.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2026
In the book, Grace drags Rocky back to his part of the ship, exposing himself to the Eridian environment; in the film, Rocky crawls back while Grace is unconscious.
—Matthew Razak, Space.com, 23 Mar. 2026
The Shops at Yale recently announced the return of the New Haven food crawls and have added a date in December, according to a statement.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 18 Mar. 2026
On Polymarket’s tab for Bitcoin, a line graph crawls along like a seismograph, showing the price to beat as the total cost fluctuates by hundreds of dollars a second.
—Joe Wilkins Published Mar 18, Futurism, 18 Mar. 2026
The checkpoint ahead crawls forward as officers slide mirrors beneath cars and canines weave through the line, sniffing for explosives.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 14 Mar. 2026
As the Bay Area slowly — some might say glacially — crawls into spring, there’s nothing better than sipping a hot cup of tea or coffee to warm yourself up.
—Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
As with aftermarket switchable sway bar systems, drivers can lock the sway bars in place for better handling and stability at speed and unlock them completely for maximum articulation during bumpy rock crawls.
—New Atlas, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
Leclerc crawls through the long right-hand Turn 12, where Lindblad moves ahead again.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Think about how often your toddler crawls near the dog bed or your kids toss pet toys around the living room.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2026
In the book, Grace drags Rocky back to his part of the ship, exposing himself to the Eridian environment; in the film, Rocky crawls back while Grace is unconscious.
—Matthew Razak, Space.com, 23 Mar. 2026
The Shops at Yale recently announced the return of the New Haven food crawls and have added a date in December, according to a statement.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 18 Mar. 2026
On Polymarket’s tab for Bitcoin, a line graph crawls along like a seismograph, showing the price to beat as the total cost fluctuates by hundreds of dollars a second.
—Joe Wilkins Published Mar 18, Futurism, 18 Mar. 2026
The checkpoint ahead crawls forward as officers slide mirrors beneath cars and canines weave through the line, sniffing for explosives.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 14 Mar. 2026
As the Bay Area slowly — some might say glacially — crawls into spring, there’s nothing better than sipping a hot cup of tea or coffee to warm yourself up.
—Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
As with aftermarket switchable sway bar systems, drivers can lock the sway bars in place for better handling and stability at speed and unlock them completely for maximum articulation during bumpy rock crawls.
—New Atlas, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawls
Verb
-
Mira’s politics are still primarily shaped by her parents, but the culture creeps in.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Mildew creeps along the corners of the tub.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Analysts have repeatedly warned that if the war drags on and supply chains are disrupted for long enough, prices for gas and a range of other goods could continue to climb.—
Wyatte Grantham-Philips,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
Our older cat has no interest in them whatsoever, but our newest baby, Pip, drags his all around the house.—
Jeaneen Russell,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
The filmmaker rarely lingers, making brief moments of grace — like Gabrielle peeking in at her mom and stepdad taking a nap — all the more resonant for their evanescence.—
Jon Frosch,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
-
Warmer and more humid weather moves in on Friday and lingers through the weekend.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Haaland bursts our bubble almost immediately by scoring in the opening five minutes, and Burnley miss a few good first-half chances, with striker Zian Flemming particularly culpable.—
Nnamdi Onyeagwara,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The 60-year immigration bubble finally bursts.—
,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The rest of the production had been much harder—particularly because, to his frustration, he’d been forced to film primarily in Atlanta rather than in Oakland, after a year of maddening delays led to the production losing its California tax rebate.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
-
And the bus agency will stage buses to handle potential overflow crowds or delays on the streetcar, among other improvements through the Kansas City Area Transit Authority (KCATA) during the World Cup.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Legislation in Louisiana seeks to address the Supreme Court ruling by scrapping a district that snakes over 200 miles (321 kilometers) northwest from the capital, Baton Rouge, to Shreveport, creating a voting bloc with a majority of Black residents.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
-
Another car snakes down the road.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At the sound of morning prayers, an older Clarissa awakens from this dream and shuffles out to her lawn, where the leafy bush has been replaced with the industrial skyline of Lagos.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
-
Tristan returns home and greets James while Siegfried shuffles the woman out the window.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Kym is the family fuckup and a guilty party to its biggest tragedy but also constantly pokes the bear as its selfish verbal assassin.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
Instead, the robot simply pokes through it.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crawls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawls. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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