creep 1 of 2

Definition of creepnext

creep

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to encroach
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits water crept slowly over the top of the tub and onto the floor

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
3
as in to crawl
to move slowly with the body close to the ground the kitten crept silently across the floor before suddenly pouncing on the mouse

Synonyms & Similar Words

4

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of creep
Noun
My hope is that judges will be very, very careful about a systemic creep that totally eviscerates the purpose and intent of the establishment clause. John E. Jones Iii, The Conversation, 15 Apr. 2026 The Financial Times stepped inside the home of Rirkrit Tiravanija on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, where lush greenery spills through expansive windows and creeps into the interior itself. Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
Cameron milks this awesome sequence for all its worth, and the adrenaline rush is palpable as those smoking weapons do their best to strike down creeping creatures until the last bullet fires. Jeff Spry, Space.com, 27 Apr. 2026 Even the smallest crack or window gap can allow cool air to escape and hot air to creep in. Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for creep
Recent Examples of Synonyms for creep
Noun
  • Here, witches are real — and so are jerks.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
  • The passengers include the requisite obnoxious jerk, Dan (Angus Sampson), already throwing his weight around and breaking no-smoking rules at LAX.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Luis Palma stepped up to take it, and Wickens got down low to his right-hand side to keep it out, only for the save to be scratched off as Ross County players encroached into the box.
    Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 4 May 2026
  • Paglen’s ideas, collected between two covers, carve a clean, linear path through our messy neural era, engaging in the kind of big-picture sense-making that books remain well suited to do, even as AI encroaches on this terrain.
    Louis Bury, ARTnews.com, 1 May 2026
Verb
  • The fight, though, kept getting delayed.
    Chang-rae Lee, New Yorker, 3 May 2026
  • Plans were reportedly delayed after Kate’s cancer diagnosis in 2024, but with her now in remission and feeling better, a tour is once again on the table.
    Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 2 May 2026
Verb
  • After losing her friend Yo, Anna spends a decade obsessively building a detailed one-third-scale replica of her house — just large enough to crawl inside — where a puppet version of Yo still lives.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 6 May 2026
  • Ahmed Moustafa, who operates a halal cart near Yankee Stadium, is still crawling out from the pandemic.
    Yuna Kim, New York Daily News, 6 May 2026
Verb
  • The Carboniferous period dragged on for sixty million.
    Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
  • Perhaps the aether did exist, but it could never be construed as being in motion by an observer on the Earth, because the aether itself was being dragged by objects traveling through space, such as the Earth, explaining why a null result was obtained.
    Big Think, Big Think, 7 May 2026
Verb
  • While coverage is expected to be more scattered, isolated strong to severe storms could still produce hail and gusty winds, particularly where daytime heating and lingering boundaries overlap.
    Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
  • The two men dined at a table alone, lingering long after all other diners had dispersed.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The barely-there gown featured a nude bodice with black lace and black gems snaking along the collar, down the center, along her sleeves and onto her hands.
    Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026
  • The dirt-only diamond was loamy and soft and home plate was totally submerged in a muddy puddle, a tributary of which also snaked down the third-base line.
    Chang-rae Lee, New Yorker, 3 May 2026
Verb
  • When Andrei Vasilevskiy tried to poke the puck away, Bolduc had moved so deep into the crease area that the puck went off him and into the net for his first career playoff goal.
    Arpon Basu, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
  • The host also poked fun at the Trumps’ living separately despite being married for 22 years.
    Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Creep.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/creep. Accessed 8 May. 2026.

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