n.
Pronunciation: ' kro ̇ l
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Old Norse krafla
Date: 14th century
intransitive verb
1 : to move slowly in a prone position without or as if without the use of limbs <the snake crawl ed into its hole>
2 : to move or progress slowly or laboriously <traffic crawl s along at 10 miles an hour>
3 : to advance by guile or servility < crawl ing into favor by toadying to his boss>
4 : to spread by extending stems or tendrils <a crawl ing vine>
5 a : to be alive or swarming with or as if with creeping things <a kitchen crawl ing with ants> b : to have the sensation of insects creeping over one <the story made her flesh crawl >
6 : to fail to stay evenly spread ― used of paint, varnish, or glaze
transitive verb
1 : to move upon in or as if in a creeping manner <all the creatures that crawl the earth>
2 : to reprove harshly <they got no good right to crawl me for what I wrote ― Marjorie K. Rawlings>