to crawl

Examples

• All

• The place is crawling with reporters.

  Eraser (1996)

• This place was crawling with kids yesterday.

  Camp Hideout (2023)

• Now, this place is crawling with press.

  Fly Me to the Moon (2024)

• That place is gonna be crawling with people.

  Daredevil (2003)

• This entire place is crawling with living things.

  Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

• "If that was in London, it would be crawling with tourists," he observes.

  Academic text (2002)

• Today, the site in the Indian state of Karnataka is crawling with pilgrims, tourists, and neo-hippies.

  Academic text (2009)

• The park was crawling with families enjoying the sunny weather.

• After the concert, the downtown area was crawling with fans excited to share their experiences.

• This old house is crawling with spiders, making it quite eerie at night.

Synonyms

C

to crawl with

vsto crawl

42 5.1

To be full of many animals or people, often in an unpleasant way

is a neutral description of being covered by many people or creatures

Antonyms

E

empty

∞ 1.0

Not containing anything

C

to clear out

91 3.1

Remove all things from a place so it becomes empty

Idioms

C

to crawl before you walk

1 5.0

To start with simple tasks before trying harder ones

M

to make someone's skin crawl

• Informal

7.4

Cause a strong feeling of fear or disgust with a creepy physical feeling

Phrasal Verbs

C

to crawl with

42 5.1

To be full of many animals or people, often in an unpleasant way

C

to crawl in

• Informal

3 3.3

To go to bed slowly because you feel very tired

C

to crawl over each other

1 3.4

Move over each other on hands and knees, often playfully

B

to begin to crawl

1 2.8

Start to move or make progress very slowly after being faster

P

to pub-crawl

• Informal

7.4

To visit several pubs in one night, drinking at each one

Compounds

C

crawl space

• Specialized

15 5.7

A low narrow space under the main floor of a building that people use to reach pipes and wires

P

pub crawl

• Informal

4 6.8

A group visiting several pubs or bars and having a drink at each

F

front crawl

1 3.7

A swimming stroke done face down where arms move alternately over the water and legs kick

A

Australian crawl

• Specialized

1 4.6

A swimming stroke where the arms move one after the other above the water and the legs kick fast

T

turtle-crawl approach

• Informal

8.2

A very slow way of doing something that wastes time

How Crowded

packed

33 1.3

to crawl

79 3.3

crowded

222 1.0

populated

2.5

underpopulated

1 6.1

emptiness

14 3.6

Surface Forms

Etymology