CRAWLING Synonyms: 182 Similar and Opposite Words

crawling 1 of 2

adjective

as in leisurely

moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed the crawling pace of the narrative is really frustrating

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

crawling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of crawl

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

as in dragging

to move slowly the weekend traffic on the road to the beach just crawled

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in poking

to move or act slowly the deadline is fast approaching, so this is no time to crawl

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in bursting

to be copiously supplied something must be up, as city hall is crawling with reporters

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of crawling

Verb

At the hospital, an insect fell from the girl’s shoe, and a staffer saw a cockroach crawling on her, the district attorney’s office said. — Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Of course, an extra three-quarters of an inch clearance and some elastic straps do not transform a unibody, front-biased crossover into an invincible rock-crawling monster. — New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2026 The other new release is a dungeon-crawling RPG called Gloom Gate. — Andrew Webster, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026 In addition to rewards for moving at the right speed and in the right direction and penalties for things like wobbling or jerky movement, the team introduced a novel way to keep the hand in a crawling stance during the simulated training. — Edd Gent, IEEE Spectrum, 8 Oct. 2026 Traffic cameras showed that northbound traffic was bumper-to-bumper and crawling along I-35 before being detoured from the highway. — Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2026 Which teething toy is safe for a six-month-old who is already crawling? — Usman Ilyas, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026 Merry banqueters on the rear wall appeared unaware of the demons crawling up the side wall, as though ready to burst into the chamber itself. — Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026 While scientists are known for their dedication to their research, crawling on the floor to avoid electrocution for the sake of a measurement seems a little excessive. — Andrea Richard, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawling

Adjective

But in order to make the most of the experiment, scientists ensured a second spacecraft would follow DART at a more leisurely pace.

— Meghan Bartels, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2026
If a leisurely day by the pool is on the agenda, order chips and guac or sip a Valley Margarita from the comfort of your chaise lounge.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of leisurely

Verb

Finally, while work is underway to build a formal framework for economic espionage, Congress must prevent any creeping erosion of the existing norm through the potentially corrupt dissemination of intelligence to favored companies.

— DAVID S. COHEN, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2026
Yep, there are more and more signs creeping in by the election cycle.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of creeping

Verb

He’s also been known to engage with those who might not be fans of his comedic stylings, publicly arguing back and forth with civilians, dragging them on his social media for his fans to see.

— Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026
Beaches typically go through a seasonal cycle with powerful winter waves dragging sand out to sea and more mild summer waves depositing the sand back onshore.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of dragging

Verb

My physical study, on the floor, poking at what was there in the open field of the air, led to newfound levels of learning to process, in poems on the page, where my initial feelings of hunger came from.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
In a recent interview with OutKick Dropkick, Hefner was already poking the bear in hopes of getting eyes on his event.

— Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of poking

Verb

And every few months, a bursting FedEx envelope from Baltimore would appear at my desk at PRH containing Professor Dixon’s typewritten chunks of new and unpublished writing.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026
People are herby, people are lemony, people are mustardy, bursting at the taste buds with umami.

— Raven Smith, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of bursting

Adjective

On winding roads, its model-specific suspension tuning and focus on weight reduction translate into exceptional body control at speed without becoming brittle or overly rigid in slower, more technical sections.

— Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026
In particular, he was asked about Netflix’s slower growth (2% year-over-year growth in user engagement during the first half in 2026).

— Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of slow

Verb

The system can also move with the trailer’s sliding suspension.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
His return this preseason was intentionally low-key, sliding onto the roster of the last-place Kings (22-60 last season) without much fanfare.

— Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of sliding

Verb

Green tea was served by gang members shuffling around in slippers.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Ivey and his partner persuaded the Crockfords dealer to rotate the high-value cards 180 degrees before shuffling them back into the pack, citing some obscure superstition as justification.

— Kit Chellel, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of shuffling

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crawling

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“Crawling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawling. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of crawling

adjective

verb

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