crawl

I UK [krɔːl] / US [krɔl] verb [intransitive]
Word forms "crawl":
present tense I/you/we/they crawl he/she/it crawls present participle crawling past tense crawled past participle crawled
*

1)

a) to move along the ground on your hands and knees or with your body close to the ground

She crawled across the floor, her eyes stinging from the smoke.

They crawled through the tunnel.

b) when a baby crawls, it moves forwards on its hands and knees

She is just learning to crawl.

2) if an insect crawls, it moves forwards using its legs

Ants were crawling over the cheese.

3) if a vehicle crawls, it moves forwards very slowly

Cars and lorries crawled along the main road.

a) if a person crawls somewhere, they move there very slowly or with difficulty

I was so tired I just wanted to crawl into bed.

b) if time crawls by, it seems to pass very slowly

The weeks crawled by until we could meet again.

4) showing disapproval to try extremely hard to please someone, in order to gain an advantage, in a way that makes other people not respect you

crawl to:

The way you crawl to them makes me sick.

I'd rather die than go crawling back to him.

•

make your skin/flesh crawl — to give you a very unpleasant and slightly frightened feeling

Phrasal verbs:

- crawl with

II UK [krɔːl] / US [krɔl] noun

1) [singular] a very slow speed at which a vehicle moves forwards

The traffic had slowed to a crawl.

2) [uncountable] a fast style of swimming in which you lie on your front and move one arm over your head and then the other while kicking your legs