CRAWLS Synonyms: 151 Similar and Opposite Words

crawls 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of crawl

as in creeps

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

Relevance

as in drags

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

as in bursts

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

crawls

2 of 2

noun

plural of crawl

as in delays

Related Words

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 crawls

Verb

There’s also a less than 10% chance of showers, if one of the hurricanes crawls farther up the coast, according to Wofford. — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026 Hairy-nosed wombat births are hard to spot, as after about a 30-day pregnancy, the joey crawls into its mother’s pouch. — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026 Researchers have developed a new control framework that enables humanoid robots to perform agile movements, including army crawls, breakdancing and backflips. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026 Markets do not hold still for a year and a half while your deal crawls through due diligence. — Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 Footage of the moment shows Menitoff acting as if nothing is happening as the bug crawls on her. — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 16 July 2026 Seltz’s system crawls hundreds of millions of pages a day, and returns results in under 200 milliseconds. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 24 June 2026 At sunset, the city starts glowing around you while traffic crawls silently below. — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 28 May 2026 Leclerc crawls through the long right-hand Turn 12, where Lindblad moves ahead again. — Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 11 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawls

Verb

The tone creeps into despair as the scales fall from Sutskever’s eyes.

— E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
Rain creeps back into the forecast by the middle of next week, when the tides are expected to be closer to normal.

— Alex Harris Updated September 27, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of creeps

Verb

However, Fed officials fear that the longer the war drags on, the higher the likelihood that the spike will make its way through the broader economy and become embedded in consumer and business expectations.

— Jeff Cox, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
As the comet rotates, fresh ice enters the sunlight and sublimates; the escaping gas then drags entrained dust particles away from the nucleus.

— Joe Rao, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of drags

Verb

Lingering at the ventanita the way Malik Willis lingers in the pocket before taking a sack?

— David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026
Corduroy’s dusty reputation still lingers, but the material itself has become more supple, richer, and far more sophisticated in recent years.

— John Vorwald, Robb Report, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of lingers

Verb

In these moments, the actor bursts through his roles as the Spider does through Reilly, unleashing the Grand Guignol excess that is Nicolas Cage.

— Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Things quickly take a terrifying turn during surgery when a scorpion tail suddenly bursts through Perry’s back, attacking one of the surgeons mid-operation.

— Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026

Definition of bursts

Noun

The opening of the III Points fest sounded a sour note for thousands of fans who poured into Wynwood for a weekend of music only to experience ticketing issues, delays and chaos among the crowd.

— Isabel Rivera, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026
Musk has repeatedly treated the sports car as a lower priority than Tesla’s other projects, while also blaming supply chain shortages for earlier delays.

— Bilin Lin, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of delays

Verb

The new district snakes up through Kansas City’s urban core, in an attempt to create a district more favorable for Republicans in the 5th District.

— Jack Harvel July 28, Kansas City Star, 28 July 2026
The story of McCarthy’s life was written on this winding street that snakes through a small, working-class corner of Pittsburgh where the Monongahela River bends.

— Mike DeFabo, New York Times, 27 July 2026

Definition of snakes

Browse Nearby Words

crawling

crawls

crawlway

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Style

“Crawls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawls. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of crawls

verb

noun

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