Meaning & use
creep
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To move slowly, quietly and carefully, often so as not to be noticed.
Grammar: Usually with a direction word: creep into the room.
Patterns
- creep into something
- creep past someone
- creep up on someone
He crept down the stairs so he would not wake anyone.
The cat crept toward the bird.
We crept past the sleeping guard.
verbintransitive
To increase or advance slowly and gradually, often unnoticed.
Grammar: Often with up: prices creep up.
Patterns
- creep up
- creep into something
Prices have been creeping up all year.
Doubt began to creep into her voice.
The fog crept across the valley.
verbintransitivetechnical
Of a plant, to grow along the ground or a wall by spreading stems.
Grammar: Describes a plant spreading: ivy creeps over the fence.
Patterns
- creep along something
Ivy crept up the old brick wall.
The vine creeps over the garden fence.
Weeds crept between the paving stones.
nouncountableinformaldisapproving
A person who behaves in a way that makes others uneasy, or who flatters to win favor.
Grammar: A harsh insult, so use with care.
Patterns
- a real creep
The man who kept following her was a creep.
Don't be such a creep, leave her alone.
Nobody liked the creep who read other people's messages.
Word forms
| third person singular | creeps |
|---|---|
| past tense | crept |
| past participle | crept |
| -ing form | creeping |
Common combinations
- creep up on
- Age can creep up on you without warning.
- creep in
- Errors began to creep in as the team grew tired.
- creep out
- The empty house crept me out.
- creep along
- Traffic crept along the highway.
- creep into
- A smile crept into his face.
- give someone the creeps
- Dark basements give me the creeps.
Synonyms and how they differ
- crawl
- Crawl means to move on hands and knees or very slowly, while creep suggests stealth or gradual change.
- sneak
- Sneak always means secret and may imply wrongdoing, while creep can be simply slow.
- tiptoe
- Tiptoe means walking on your toes to be quiet, a more specific action than creep.
- inch
- Inch stresses very small steps of progress, rather than quiet or secrecy.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: creep or crept? creep or creek?
creep vs crept
Crept is the past tense and past participle of creep, so write crept, not creeped, in standard English.
creep vs creek
A creek is a small stream, and is only a sound-alike for creep, which is a movement.
Practice
The burglar ___ across the dark room, careful not to make a sound.
Choose one answer.
Crept means moved quietly and slowly, matching care not to make a sound. Stomped, raced and marched are noisy or fast.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “creep”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.