creep 1 of 2

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
Irrespective of industry, successfully scaling can become a chimera—especially if the temptation (or pressure) to rush creeps in. Joy Stevens, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025 Lifestyle creep is the tendency to spend more money as your income increases — a habit many people fall into without realizing it. Talia Wexler, CNBC, 20 June 2025
Verb
Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody have both stood firm against creeping socialism. Michelle Flowers, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 July 2025 Meanwhile, Cole takes on a new role at school, but when that doesn’t quite fill the void left by not playing football, his old ways creep back in and cause drama. Claire Franken, TVLine, 5 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for creep
Recent Examples of Synonyms for creep
Noun
  • No, the worst Christopher Reeve Superman film is not the embarrassing Cannon Films installment but rather the one featuring a world-class comedian, a woman turning into a computer, and a terrific junkyard battle between Clark Kent and his belligerent jerk doppelganger.
    Rory Doherty, Vulture, 11 July 2025
  • Midtown Global Market’s Irie Jamaican serves oxtail (jerk or barbecue) with festival (a sweet, fried bread); sweet plantains; coconut shrimp skewers; and a ginger and hibiscus drink.
    Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 9 July 2025
Verb
  • In fact, city officials argue that homeowners who have built fences or garden beds close to the trail in the last three decades have encroached on the city's easement.
    Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 3 July 2025
  • But after the acquisition, the company decided that damage to the property from a previous fire and vandals, along with issues around the building encroaching on property lines with the city, made reopening unviable.
    Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Verb
  • South Park's season 27 premiere was delayed and ultimately moved from Comedy Central to Paramount+ amid parent company Paramount's pending merger with Skydance.
    Emlyn Travis Published, EW.com, 25 July 2025
  • To understand why, consider what businesses stand to lose by delaying automation.
    Laurent Charpentier, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
Verb
  • Insects and other pests like rodents can easily crawl inside and make themselves at home.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 19 July 2025
  • This remains a place where crabs crawl out of the water at sunset, stingrays swim around surfers in the Pacific, and languidly smiling sloths—the national mascot—remind us all to slow down.
    Laura Dannen Redman, AFAR Media, 16 July 2025
Verb
  • The season ends with Sophie dragging Kyle’s body through the woods and to the edge of a cliff, dropping it in the water below.
    Melissa Locker, Time, 23 July 2025
  • Pitmaster Roy Perez ceremoniously dragged a metal tub of hot coals up Commerce Street to transfer the fire from the old pits to the new ones.
    Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 23 July 2025
Verb
  • The kidnapping of a teen girl months earlier lingers in the background.
    Judy Berman, Time, 21 July 2025
  • Yet these employment cuts can have devastating consequences on workers and cause lingering damage to the labor market at large.
    Omeed Maghzian, Harvard Business Review, 21 July 2025
Verb
  • Her group of spies, scouts, and other freedom fighters piloted three Union steamboats snaking up the lower Combahee River with Colonel James Montgomery of the Second South Carolina Volunteers and one battery of the Third Rhode Island Artillery.
    Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025
  • Younger sister Elle wore a black silk slip dress that hit just below the knee, with sheer straps and panelling that snaked down the bodice with light embroidery, paired with black kitten heels and a small rectangular clutch bag.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 16 July 2025
Verb
  • This review pokes a useful hole in the breathless reception this film received, while managing to feel fond.
    Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 24 July 2025
  • The dish is almost a tease, tickling and poking you by showcasing carrots such that here a confident argument is made to herald them in as the pre-eminent salad vegetable.
    Timothy DePeugh, Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Creep.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/creep. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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