crawling 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of crawlingnext
as in leisurely
moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed the crawling pace of the narrative is really frustrating

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

crawling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of crawl
1
as in creeping
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
2
as in dragging
to move slowly the weekend traffic on the road to the beach just crawled

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in poking
to move or act slowly the deadline is fast approaching, so this is no time to crawl

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in bursting
to be copiously supplied something must be up, as city hall is crawling with reporters

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for crawling
  1. leisurely
  2. creeping
  3. poking
  4. bursting
  5. slow
  6. shuffling
  7. buzzing
  8. humming
Adjective
  • The film eschews traditional dramatic structures, unfolding episodically at a leisurely pace while Karoline struggles to keep her life from completely derailing.
    Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2024
  • Wild at Tart, is the place for a leisurely lunch with a variety of sharing plates focussed on a sustainable and seasonal approach.
    Michele Robson, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
Definition of leisurely
Verb
  • The prostrate or creeping forms are less winter hardy but only grow 8-10 inches tall but cascade along the ground.
    Janet B. Carson, arkansasonline.com, 9 Dec. 2024
  • All of which would probably block any other incoming administration’s pick for a receptionist—let alone a Secretary of Defense—from creeping forward.
    Philip Elliott, TIME, 4 Dec. 2024
Definition of creeping
Verb
  • No leader wants to be like the movie Office Space, famous for poking fun at the flaws of the 1990s workplace cube farms and non-welcoming vibes.
    Julie Kratz, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
  • Take Kule’s for example—the red stripes would look so chic poking out from beneath a tonal knit or ladylike jacket.
    Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 11 Dec. 2024
Definition of poking
Verb
  • Pipes are prone to bursting during cold spells.
    Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 10 Dec. 2024
  • How to keep pipes from bursting When temperatures drop to freezing conditions, pipes have the potential to burst due to the expansion of water.
    Lauren De Young, The Arizona Republic, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of bursting
Adjective
  • Wine and conversation flow on a slow tour of the natural vineyards in Spain’s Castilla y León.
    Megan Lloyd, Travel + Leisure, 7 Dec. 2024
  • No one knows for sure why the rally happens but some experts attribute it to such seasonal things as holiday shopping and investors wrapping up their books before the end of the year, ahead of a slower January.
    Benzinga, Detroit Free Press, 7 Dec. 2024
Definition of slow
Verb
  • In addition, both received the Order of the British Empire in different years (2003 and 2017, respectively), and some tabloid media are shuffling the possibility of their knighthood.
    Nuria Luis, Glamour, 4 Dec. 2024
  • James has been shuffling between the Lakers and the G League as Los Angeles tries to work out a plan to give him time for development.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 24 Nov. 2024
Definition of shuffling
Verb
  • Compiled annually by a group led by Franklin Leonard, a recipient of a Gotham tribute award this year, Variety waits with childlike anticipation each year to see which scripts film executives have really been buzzing over — but haven’t had the budget or the chutzpah to put into production just yet.
    Matt Donnelly, Variety, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Andrews’ three-pointer banked into the basket with four-tenths of a second left, leaving a crowd that had been buzzing moments earlier in stunned disbelief.
    Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
Definition of buzzing
Verb
  • Heading into the summer, though, the Trojans’ out-of-state pursuits appeared to be humming along.
    Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024
  • Health, family, this humming season of life.
    Lizz Schumer, People.com, 23 Nov. 2024
Definition of humming
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near crawling

crawlers

crawling

crawls

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Cite this Entry

“Crawling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crawling. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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More from Merriam-Webster on crawling

Nglish: Translation of crawling for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of crawling for Arabic Speakers

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