crawl

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body

   A crawl was all that the injured climber could manage after their fall.

2. 2
   noun

   a very slow movement

   the traffic advanced at a crawl

3. 3
   verb

   to be full of

   The old cheese was crawling with maggots.

4. 4
   verb

   to feel as if crawling with insects

   My skin crawled--I was terrified

5. 5
   verb

   To creep; to move slowly on hands and knees, or by dragging the body along the ground.

   Clutching my wounded side, I crawled back to the trench.

6. 6
   verb

   To move forward slowly, with frequent stops.

   The rush-hour traffic crawled around the bypass.

7. 7
   verb

   To act in a servile manner.

   Don’t come crawling to me with your useless apologies!

8. 8
   verb

   To feel a swarming sensation.

   The horrible sight made my skin crawl.

Etymology

From Middle English crawlen, crewlen, creulen, crallen, *cravelen, from Old Norse krafla (compare Danish kravle (“to crawl, creep”), Swedish kravla, kräla (“to creep, crawl”)), from Proto-Germanic *krablōną (compare Saterland Frisian krabbelje, Dutch krabbelen, German Low German krabbeln, German krabbeln), frequentative of *krabbōną (“to scratch, scrape”). Compare also Saterland Frisian krauelje (“to crawl, scuttle”), West Frisian kreauwelje (“to crawl”), Dutch krevelen, krieuwelen (“to crawl”), German Low German kribbeln, German kribbeln (“to creep, crawl, tingle”). See also crab, crabble.