CRAWL: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for CRAWL?

Need another word that means the same as “crawl”? Find 61 synonyms and 30 related words for “crawl” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Crawl” are: cower, creep, cringe, fawn, grovel, go on all fours, move on hands and knees, inch, drag oneself along, pull oneself along, drag, trail, slither, slink, squirm, wriggle, writhe, scrabble, worm one's way, advance slowly, advance stealthily, sneak, grovel to, be obsequious towards, ingratiate oneself with, be servile towards, be sycophantic towards, abase oneself to, demean oneself to, bow and scrape to, toady to, dance attendance on, fawn on, fawn over, curry favour with, cultivate, seek the favour of, try to win over, try to get on the good side of, make up to, play up to, be full of, overflow with, teem with, abound in, abound with, be packed with, be crowded with, be thronged with, be jammed with, be alive with, be overrun with, swarm with, be bristling with, be infested with, be thick with, crawling, creeping, australian crawl, front crawl

Crawl as a Noun

Definitions of "Crawl" as a noun

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “crawl” as a noun can have the following definitions:

• A swimming stroke involving alternate overarm movements and rapid kicks of the legs.
• A swimming stroke; arms are moved alternately overhead accompanied by a flutter kick.
• A slow rate of movement, typically that of a vehicle.
• An act of moving on one's hands and knees or dragging one's body along the ground.
• A very slow movement.
• A slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body.

Synonyms of "Crawl" as a noun (5 Words)

australian crawl	A very slow movement.
crawling	A swimming stroke; arms are moved alternately overhead accompanied by a flutter kick.
creep	An opening in a hedge or wall for an animal to pass through. I thought he was a nasty little creep.
creeping	A slow longitudinal movement or deformation.
front crawl	The side that is forward or prominent.

Usage Examples of "Crawl" as a noun

• A crawl was all that the injured man could manage.
• They began the crawl back to their own lines.
• He reduced his speed to a crawl.
• The traffic advanced at a crawl.
• She could do the crawl and so many other strokes.

Crawl as a Verb

Definitions of "Crawl" as a verb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “crawl” as a verb can have the following definitions:

• (of paint or other liquid) move after application to form an uneven layer over the surface below.
• (of an insect or small animal) move slowly along a surface.
• Show submission or fear.
• Be covered or crowded with (insects or people), to an extent that is objectionable.
• (of a program) systematically visit (a number of web pages) in order to create an index of data.
• Be full of.
• (of a vehicle) move at an unusually slow pace.
• Move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground.
• Behave obsequiously or ingratiatingly in the hope of gaining someone's favour.
• Move forward on the hands and knees or by dragging the body close to the ground.
• Swim using the crawl.
• Feel as if crawling with insects.
• Swim by doing the crawl.

Synonyms of "Crawl" as a verb (56 Words)

abase oneself to	Cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of.
abound in	Be in a state of movement or action.
abound with	Be in a state of movement or action.
advance slowly	Develop in a positive way.
advance stealthily	Rise in rate or price.
be alive with	Have life, be alive.
be bristling with	Work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function.
be crowded with	Form or compose.
be full of	Represent, as of a character on stage.
be infested with	Be priced at.
be jammed with	Occupy a certain position or area.
be obsequious towards	Occupy a certain position or area.
be overrun with	Have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun.
be packed with	Have an existence, be extant.
be servile towards	Be priced at.
be sycophantic towards	Represent, as of a character on stage.
be thick with	Be priced at.
be thronged with	Occupy a certain position or area.
bow and scrape to	Bend one’s back forward from the waist on down.
cower	Crouch or curl up. Children cowered in terror as the shoot out erupted.
creep	Move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground. The fog was creeping up from the marsh.
cringe	Experience an inward shiver of embarrassment or disgust. He cringed away from the blow.
cultivate	Try to improve or develop (one’s mind). Cultivate the land.
curry favour with	Give a neat appearance to.
dance attendance on	Move in a graceful and rhythmical way.
demean oneself to	Reduce in worth or character, usually verbally.
drag	Proceed for an extended period of time. But in so many other areas we still are dragging.
drag oneself along	Force into some kind of situation, condition, or course of action.
fawn	Have fawns. The forest was closed for hunting when the does were fawning.
fawn on	Have fawns.
fawn over	Try to gain favor by cringing or flattering.
go on all fours	Be or continue to be in a certain condition.
grovel	Act in an obsequious way in order to obtain someone’s forgiveness or favour. He grovelled at George s feet.
grovel to	Show submission or fear.
inch	Advance slowly as if by inches. Spain s conservatives are inching ahead.
ingratiate oneself with	Gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts.
make up to	Make by shaping or bringing together constituents.
move on hands and knees	Propose formally; in a debate or parliamentary meeting.
overflow with	Overflow with a certain feeling.
play up to	Participate in games or sport.
pull oneself along	Strain abnormally.
scrabble	Feel searchingly. I had to scrabble around to find this apartment.
seek the favour of	Try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of.
slink	Come or go unobtrusively or furtively. I saw a cougar slinking toward its prey.
slither	Slide or slip unsteadily on a loose or slippery surface. We slithered down a snowy mountain track.
sneak	(especially in children’s use) inform an adult or person in authority of a companion’s misdeeds; tell tales. Stead of sneaking around spying on the neighbor s house.
squirm	To move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling. He squirmed as he recalled the phrases he had used.
swarm with	Be teeming, be abuzz.
teem with	Be teeming, be abuzz.
toady to	Try to gain favor by cringing or flattering.
trail	Be losing to an opponent in a game or contest. The Mercedes trailed behind the horse cart.
try to get on the good side of	Take a sample of.
try to win over	Put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to.
worm one's way	To move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling.
wriggle	Avoid (something) by devious means. Don t try and wriggle out of your contract.
writhe	To move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling. The prisoner writhed in discomfort.

Usage Examples of "Crawl" as a verb

• My skin crawled–I was terrified.
• I turned without stopping and crawled back to the deep end.
• Its automated software robots crawl websites, grabbing copies of pages to index.
• The traffic was crawling along.
• The floor was dirty and crawling with bugs.
• A reporter's job can involve crawling to objectionable people.
• The crocodile was crawling along the riverbed.
• They crawled from under the table.
• Glazes can crawl away from a crack in the piece.
• The old cheese was crawling with maggots.
• European children learn the breast stroke; they often don't know how to crawl.
• The tiny spider was crawling up Nicky's arm.

Associations of "Crawl" (30 Words)

apology	An expression of regret at having caused trouble for someone. He wrote a letter of apology to the hostess.
cower	Show submission or fear. Children cowered in terror as the shoot out erupted.
creep	Someone unpleasantly strange or eccentric. I thought he was a nasty little creep.
cringe	Bend one’s head and body in fear or apprehension or in a servile manner. I cringed at the fellow s stupidity.
fawning	Attempting to win favor by flattery. Fawning interviews with Hollywood celebs.
flattery	Excessive or insincere praise. She allowed no hint of flattery to enter her voice.
furtive	Secret and sly or sordid. Furtive behavior.
glide	A flight in a glider or unpowered aircraft. Students learning to glide.
grovel	Show submission or fear. He grovelled at George s feet.
huddle	A quick private conference. A man with his clothes all huddled on anyhow.
lurk	Be or remain hidden so as to wait in ambush for someone or something. You ll soon learn the lurks and perks.
obsequious	Attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery. Obsequious shop assistants.
pounce	A sudden swoop or spring. The paper pounced on her admission that she is still a member of CND.
purloin	Steal (something. He must have managed to purloin a copy of the key.
servile	Relating to or involving slaves or appropriate for slaves or servants. The servile wars of Sicily.
silently	Without making any sound. She sobbed silently in the corner.
skid	Move a heavy object on skids. They skidded the logs down the hill to the waterfront.
slavish	Blindly imitative. He noted the slavish feudal respect they had for her.
slide	A transparency mounted in a frame viewed with a slide projector. His slide didn t stop until the bottom of the hill.
slither	A slithering movement. A snake like slither across the grass.
snake	Something long thin and flexible that resembles a snake. That man is a cold blooded snake.
sneak	Someone who prowls or sneaks about usually with unlawful intentions. I sneaked out by the back exit.
snitch	Inform on someone. Someone snitched my wallet.
stealthily	In a cautious and surreptitious manner, so as not to be seen or heard. We need to move stealthily and look inconspicuous.
stealthy	Behaving or done in a cautious and surreptitious manner, so as not to be seen or heard. Stealthy footsteps.
surreptitious	Conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods. Low wages were supplemented by surreptitious payments from tradesmen.
swoop	Seize or catch with a swooping motion. She swooped up the hen in her arms.
sycophantic	Attempting to win favor by flattery. A sycophantic interview.
walk	Make walk. He walks the horse up the mountain.
wriggle	To move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling. Don t try and wriggle out of your contract.