crawl

(noun, verb)

noun

1. a very slow movement

- the traffic advanced at a crawl

Definition categories: act, motion, move, movement

2. a swimming stroke; arms are moved alternately overhead accompanied by a flutter kick

Definition categories: act

3. a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body

- a crawl was all that the injured man could manage

Similar word(s): crawling, creep, creeping

Definition categories: act, locomotion, travel

verb

1. move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground

- The crocodile was crawling along the riverbed

Similar word(s): creep

Definition categories: motion, go, locomote, move, travel

2. feel as if crawling with insects

- My skin crawled--I was terrified

Definition categories: stative, feel

3. be full of

- The old cheese was crawling with maggots

Definition categories: stative, pullulate, swarm, teem

4. show submission or fear

Similar word(s): cower, creep, cringe, fawn, grovel

Definition categories: motion, bend, flex

5. swim by doing the crawl

- European children learn the breast stroke; they often don't know how to crawl

Definition categories: motion, swim

Sentences with crawl as a verb:

- Clutching my wounded side, I crawled back to the trench.

- The rush-hour traffic crawled around the bypass.

- Don't come crawling to me with your useless apologies!

- The horrible sight made my skin crawl.

- I think I'll crawl the next hundred metres.

- The baby crawled the entire second floor.

- They crawled the downtown bars.

- Yahoo Search has updated its Slurp Crawler to crawl web sites faster and more efficiently.