Creeping
/ˈkriːpɪŋ/
Definitions
2 meaningsTo move slowly and carefully, often close to the ground, or to advance gradually.
/ˈkriːpɪŋ/
To move slowly and carefully, especially close to the ground.
The cat was creeping along the fence.
💡 Simply: It's like tiptoeing very slowly, maybe because you don't want to be seen or make noise. Imagine you're creeping into the kitchen at night to grab a snack.
👶 For kids: To move slowly and quietly, like a snail.
More Examples
The shadows were creeping across the lawn as the sun set.
Fear was slowly creeping into her heart.
How It's Used
"The snake was creeping through the tall grass."
"Soldiers were creeping through the trenches."
To gradually develop or spread, often in an unnoticed or insidious way.
/ˈkriːpɪŋ/
To gradually develop or spread.
The disease was creeping through the population.
💡 Simply: Imagine something growing or happening slowly, like a shadow lengthening as the sun sets or like your nervousness building up before a test.
👶 For kids: To grow or happen slowly, like the sun going down.
More Examples
Complacency was creeping into their work.
The price of gas is creeping up again.
How It's Used
"Doubts were creeping into his mind."
"The fog was creeping in from the sea."
Idioms & expressions
creeping dread
A feeling of intense fear that slowly builds up and becomes overwhelming.
"As the storm approached, a creeping dread filled the town."
From Old English *crēopan* ('to creep, crawl'), related to German kriechen and Dutch kruipen, all from Proto-Germanic *kreupaną.
Used in various texts since Old English, often to describe slow, stealthy movement or the gradual spread of something.
Memory tip
Imagine a stealthy cat, low to the ground, inching closer to its prey.