crawled
crawled — verb
- crawledpresent simple I / you / we / they
- crawleds3rd person singular
- crawleding-ing form
- crawlededpast simple
1. to move along using your hands and bent legs for support while keeping your body
to move along using your hands and bent legs for support while keeping your body close to the ground
Ayesha crawled under the bed to look for her missing earring.
crawl + adverb of direction (under)
The baby crawled across the living room carpet towards his father.
crawl + adverb (across) indicating movement
Adisa crawled through the narrow tunnel and came out covered in dust.
The injured soldier crawled along the ditch to reach the medic.
- walk
upright movement on two feet
文法句型
crawl + adverb/preposition (along, across, under, through)
用法筆記
Frequently followed by a direction adverb (under, through, across, along) that specifies the path of movement.
常見錯誤
2. to move forward at an extremely slow rate, often because something is blocking t
to move forward at an extremely slow rate, often because something is blocking the way or because of difficult conditions
Traffic crawled along the highway after a truck broke down in the tunnel.
crawl + along (traffic metaphor)
Mira watched the hours crawl by while she waited for news from the hospital.
crawl + by (time metaphor)
The old car crawled up the steep hill, making a strange noise.
Mateo's recovery crawled along for months after the operation.
文法句型
crawl + adverb (along, by, past)
用法筆記
Commonly used metaphorically for time, progress, or traffic. Subject is often an inanimate thing or a process, not a person actively choosing to go slow.
3. to behave in a way that is too humble or nice towards someone in power, because
to behave in a way that is too humble or nice towards someone in power, because you hope to get something good from them
Noor hates the way some colleagues crawl to the manager every time she walks into the room.
crawl + to + person (disapproving)
Eric refused to crawl to the professor just to get a better grade on his essay.
The way that journalist crawls to powerful politicians makes me lose respect for her work.
Ayesha told her brother to stop crawling to their aunt for money and just ask politely.
文法句型
crawl to + person (try to please by being too nice)
用法筆記
Strongly negative connotation. Use when criticism of submissive behaviour is intended. Not appropriate in neutral or formal contexts.
常見錯誤
4. to be packed or covered with a large number of living things, especially small m
to be packed or covered with a large number of living things, especially small moving creatures, or by extension with people or objects
The old cheese was crawling with tiny white maggots, so Lukas threw it away.
be crawling with + insects/animals
During the festival the streets were crawling with tourists carrying cameras and maps.
be crawling with + people
Eshe opened the cupboard and saw that the flour sack was crawling with weevils.
The beach was crawling with crabs after the storm washed them ashore.
文法句型
be crawling with + noun phrase (be full of)
用法筆記
Always used in progressive form (be crawling with). Never used in simple tense ('the floor crawls with ants' is incorrect). Object is typically insects, people, or small animals.
常見錯誤
5. to experience an unpleasant feeling on your skin as if insects were moving acros
to experience an unpleasant feeling on your skin as if insects were moving across it, usually because you are frightened, disgusted, or repelled by something
Lisa's skin crawled when she saw the cockroach run across the kitchen counter.
skin crawl + sensory trigger
The way the old man stared at her made Adisa's skin crawl with discomfort.
make one's skin crawl
Eli felt his scalp crawl as he watched the horror movie alone in the dark.
Just thinking about the spider on her pillow made Mira's skin crawl again.
- creep
similar; 'it gave me the creeps'
文法句型
crawl with + noun
make one's skin crawl
用法筆記
The expression 'make one's skin crawl' is a very common fixed phrase. Subject is typically a disgusting or frightening experience, and the person's skin is the thing that 'crawls'.
常見錯誤
crawled — noun
1. a way of moving forward with your chest close to the floor, using your hands and
a way of moving forward with your chest close to the floor, using your hands and your bent legs to push or pull yourself along
Minh got down on his hands and knees and did a slow crawl through the long grass.
a + adjective + crawl
The soldier's crawl across the muddy field took almost twenty minutes.
possessive + crawl + adverb
Sora's knees hurt after a long crawl along the rocky path looking for her keys.
The baby's crawl was still very slow and wobbly, but she loved exploring the house.
文法句型
a crawl
the crawl
用法筆記
Often used with a possessive ('his crawl', 'the baby's crawl') or an article ('a crawl'). Can be modified by adjectives describing speed or style.
2. a movement or rate of progress that is extremely slow, often because traffic, wo
a movement or rate of progress that is extremely slow, often because traffic, work, or a process is held up
The traffic slowed to a crawl near the construction site on the freeway.
slow to a crawl (fixed phrase)
Eric's work on the book has slowed to a crawl because of his new teaching job.
The line at the ticket counter moved at a crawl, and Mira grew more impatient by the minute.
Mateo drove at a crawl through the flooded streets to avoid damaging his car.
- snail's pace
even slower, more expressive idiom
- breakneck speed
very fast pace
文法句型
a crawl
at a crawl
用法筆記
Almost always appears in fixed phrases: 'slow to a crawl', 'at a crawl', 'reduce to a crawl'. Not used as a countable noun in this sense.
3. a rapid swimming technique performed face-down, where the swimmer alternately re
a rapid swimming technique performed face-down, where the swimmer alternately reaches each hand forward into the water while the legs perform a continuous up-and-down kicking motion
Ayesha won the race because her front crawl was faster than anyone else's.
front crawl (swimming term)
Lukas spent the summer learning the crawl and improved his time by ten seconds.
The coach taught the children how to breathe properly while doing the front crawl.
Eshe can swim the crawl for over a kilometre without getting tired.
In the triathlon, most competitors use the crawl for the swimming leg.
- front crawl
full name for this stroke
- freestyle
competition name for same stroke
- breaststroke
slower stroke with frog-like leg movement
- backstroke
swimming on the back
文法句型
the crawl
front crawl
用法筆記
Also called 'front crawl' or 'Australian crawl'. Often used with a definite article ('the crawl') or as part of 'front crawl'. The verb phrase is 'swim (the) crawl' or 'do (the) crawl'.
常見錯誤
4. an evening or afternoon spent visiting a series of pubs or bars, usually with a
an evening or afternoon spent visiting a series of pubs or bars, usually with a group of friends, having a drink at each stop before moving on to the next one
Adisa organised a pub crawl for his birthday and invited everyone from the office.
pub crawl (compound noun)
The group did a bar crawl through the old part of town, stopping at six different places.
Lisa's friends surprised her with a cocktail crawl to celebrate her promotion.
Eli was too tired to join the pub crawl after working a twelve-hour shift at the hospital.
- bar hop
American equivalent; more casual verb phrase
文法句型
a crawl
pub crawl
用法筆記
Most commonly 'pub crawl' in British English; 'bar crawl' is also used in American English. The headword appears as part of a compound noun rather than alone.