¹crawl

verb \ˈkrȯl\

: to move on your hands and knees

: to move with the body close to or on the ground

: to move slowly

Full Definition of CRAWL

intransitive verb

: to move slowly in a prone position without or as if without the use of limbs <the snake crawled into its hole>

: to move or progress slowly or laboriously <traffic crawls along at 10 miles an hour>

: to advance by guile or servility <crawling into favor by toadying to his boss>

: to spread by extending stems or tendrils <a crawling vine>

a : to be alive or swarming with or as if with creeping things <a kitchen crawling with ants>

b : to have the sensation of insects creeping over one <the story made her flesh crawl>

: to fail to stay evenly spread —used of paint, varnish, or glaze

transitive verb

: to move upon in or as if in a creeping manner <all the creatures that crawl the earth>

: to reprove harshly <they got no good right to crawl me for what I wrote — Marjorie K. Rawlings>

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Origin of CRAWL

Middle English, from Old Norse krafla

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to CRAWL

Synonyms: belly, creep, grovel, slide, slither, snake, worm, wriggle

Antonyms: fly, race, speed, whiz (or whizz), zip

Rhymes with CRAWL

all, awl, ball, bawl, brawl, call, caul, doll, drawl, fall, gall, hall, haul, kraal, mall, maul, moll, pall, pawl, Saul, scall, scrawl, shawl, small, spall, sprawl, squall, stall, tall, thrall, trawl, wall, yawl

²crawl

noun

: a very slow speed

: a way of swimming in which the swimmer lies facing down in the water and moves first one arm over the head and then the other while kicking the legs

Full Definition of CRAWL

a : the act or action of crawling

b : slow or laborious progress

c chiefly British : a going from one pub to another

: a fast swimming stroke executed in a prone position with alternating overarm strokes and a flutter kick

: lettering that moves vertically or horizontally across a television or motion-picture screen to give information (as performer credits or news bulletins)

See crawl defined for English-language learners