creep
verb/kriːp/
/kriːp/
In sense 5 and in the phrasal verb creep somebody out, creeped is used for the past simple and past participle.Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they creep | /kriːp/ /kriːp/ |
| he / she / it creeps | /kriːps/ /kriːps/ |
| past simple crept | /krept/ /krept/ |
| past participle crept | /krept/ /krept/ |
| -ing form creeping | /ˈkriːpɪŋ/ /ˈkriːpɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) (of people or animals) to move slowly, quietly and carefully, because you do not want to be seen or heard
- I crept up the stairs, trying not to wake my parents.
- I heard someone creeping around the house.
Extra Examples- He crept stealthily along the corridor.
- She crept up behind me.
- I could hear someone creeping around downstairs.
- He crept forward towards the sound of voices.
- She crept into her sister's room.
- The cat was creeping stealthily through the long grass.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- quietly
- silently
- slowly
- …
- along
- down
- into
- …
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
- [intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) (North American English) to move with your body close to the ground; to move slowly on your hands and knees synonym crawlOxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
- quietly
- silently
- slowly
- …
- along
- down
- into
- …
- [intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) to move or develop very slowly
- Her arms crept around his neck.
- A slight feeling of suspicion crept over me.
Extra Examples- A feeling of dread crept over him.
- Trucks are creeping along Interstate 70 in convoys.
- [intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) (of plants) to grow along the ground or up walls using long stems or roots see also creeper
- [intransitive] creep (to somebody) (British English, informal, disapproving) to be too friendly or helpful to somebody in authority in a way that is not sincere, especially in order to get an advantage from them
- He's always creeping to the boss.
Word OriginOld English crēopan ‘move with the body close to the ground’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kruipen. Sense 1 of the verb dates from Middle English.
Idioms
See creep in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarymake your flesh creep
- to make you feel afraid or full of horror
- Just the sight of him makes my flesh creep.
- The story made his flesh creep.
Check pronunciation:
creep