Meaning & use
crouch
Last updated
Meanings
verbintransitive
To bend the knees and lower the body close to the ground, usually while staying on the feet.
Grammar: No object; often followed by down or a place: crouch behind a wall.
Patterns
- crouch down
- crouch behind something
- crouch over something
She crouched down to tie the toddler's shoe.
The cat crouched in the grass, watching the bird.
They crouched behind the sofa and waited for the surprise.
verbintransitive
To lower the body in fear or to avoid being seen.
Grammar: Often used with an adverb of place or fear.
Patterns
- crouch in fear
The children crouched in the cellar during the storm.
He crouched low to avoid being spotted.
The dog crouched, trembling, under the table.
nouncountable
A position with bent knees and the body held low.
Grammar: Usually singular: in a crouch.
Patterns
- in a crouch
- drop into a crouch
The sprinter dropped into a crouch at the starting line.
He stayed in a crouch for several minutes.
From a low crouch, the photographer took the shot.
Word forms
| third person singular | crouches |
|---|---|
| past tense | crouched |
| past participle | crouched |
| -ing form | crouching |
Common combinations
- crouch down
- Crouch down so the people behind can see.
- crouch low
- The hunter crouched low in the reeds.
- crouch behind
- The children crouched behind a bush.
- in a crouch
- The goalkeeper stayed in a crouch.
- crouching tiger
- The film's title mentions a crouching tiger.
Synonyms and how they differ
- squat
- Squat suggests sitting with the bottom close to the heels, often for a longer time, whereas crouch is lighter and ready to move.
- hunch
- Hunch means to curve the shoulders and back forward, and it does not involve bending the knees.
- stoop
- Stoop means bending forward from the waist, while crouch bends the knees.
- cower
- Cower always involves fear, while crouch can be calm or purposeful.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: crouch or kneel? crouch or couch?
crouch vs kneel
Kneel means resting one or both knees on the ground, while crouch keeps the knees bent but the body off the ground.
crouch vs couch
A couch is a sofa, and it is a different word with a different spelling.
Practice
The photographer had to ___ to capture the flowers at ground level.
Choose one answer.
Crouch means bending the knees to get low, which suits ground-level photos. Stretch would raise the body upward instead.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “crouch”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.