/ krɔːl; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb [ v , usually + adv. / prep. ]
1.
to move forward on your hands and knees, with your body close to the ground :
Our baby is just starting to crawl.
A man was crawling away from the burning wreckage.
2.
when an insect crawls , it moves forward on its legs :
There's a spider crawling up your leg.
3.
to move forward very slowly :
The traffic was crawling along.
The weeks crawled by.
4.
crawl (to sb) ( informal , disapproving ) to be too friendly or helpful to sb in authority, in a way that is not sincere, especially in order to get an advantage from them :
She's always crawling to the boss.
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IDIOMS
see skin noun , woodwork
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PHRASAL VERBS
- be crawling with sth
■ noun
1.
[ sing. ] a very slow speed :
The traffic slowed to a crawl.
—see also pub crawl
2.
(often the crawl ) [ sing. , U ] a fast swimming stroke that you do lying on your front moving one arm over your head, and then the other, while kicking with your feet :
a swimmer doing the crawl
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : of unknown origin; possibly related to Swedish kravla and Danish kravle .