creep
creep — noun
- creepsingular
- creepsplural
1. a person who acts overly friendly and helpful toward someone in a position of po
a person who acts overly friendly and helpful toward someone in a position of power or authority, but whose behaviour is insincere and aimed at winning personal favour
The new manager quickly saw that Nikos was a creep who agreed with everything the boss said.
be + a + creep = disapproving label for a person
Soraya disliked working with creeps who never offered their own opinions.
At the staff meeting, Chiara nodded and smiled at every suggestion the department head made, even the impractical ones.
nodded and smiled at every suggestion = sycophantic agreement behaviour
Imran refused to be a creep just to get a promotion he had earned fairly.
- insincere creep
- spineless creep
- pathetic creep
- sycophant
more formal; used in writing rather than everyday speech
- bootlicker
very informal and rude; stronger disapproval
- toady
dated but still used in British English; describes someone who flatters for advantage
Grammar Patterns
be a creep
Usage Note
Strongly negative word. Use it to criticise someone whose friendliness you believe is fake and self-serving, not for honest admiration or respect.
Common Mistakes
2. someone whose odd or offensive behaviour makes other people feel uneasy, nervous
someone whose odd or offensive behaviour makes other people feel uneasy, nervous, or threatened — the word is most often aimed at men
That creep at the bar kept staring at Tamar even after she asked him to stop.
that creep = referring to an unspecified disliked person
Darius told his sister to stay away from the creep who had been following her home.
Wren asked the group of creeps on the corner to leave before she called the police.
Emma refused to give her phone number to the creep who asked for it on the train.
- total creep
- creepy guy
- weird creep
- strange creep
Grammar Patterns
be a creep
that creep
Usage Note
Strong insult in most contexts — equates the person's character with unpleasantness or threat. Not used in polite or professional descriptions of people.
Common Mistakes
3. a slow process by which something keeps growing or spreading bit by bit, especia
a slow process by which something keeps growing or spreading bit by bit, especially when that change was not foreseen and is not welcome
The creep of rising prices has made everyday life harder for many families in Taipei.
the creep of + noun phrase = gradual unwanted process
Hui worried about the slow creep of coastal erosion along the beach near her village.
Nobody noticed the creep of bureaucracy until a simple permit took three months to obtain.
The creep of weeds into the rice paddies forced the farmers to work extra hours every week.
- creep of inflation
- creep of bureaucracy
- creep of development
- creep of time
- gradual increase
neutral; can be positive or negative
- slow spread
more concrete; often used for physical expansion
Grammar Patterns
the creep of [something]
Usage Note
Common in formal and journalistic writing. Often paired with a noun that names something negative: the creep of inflation, the creep of government regulation, the creep of surveillance.
Common Mistakes
4. a strong uncomfortable feeling of fear or nervousness, as if something unpleasan
a strong uncomfortable feeling of fear or nervousness, as if something unpleasant is touching your skin or watching you from the dark
The old abandoned hospital gave Emma the creeps, especially the dark basement stairs.
give [someone] the creeps = idiomatic phrase for causing unease
Putri felt a creep of fear run down her spine when the lights flickered and died.
Even tough adults can get the creeps from walking through a dark forest alone at midnight.
That horror movie gave Christopher the creeps so badly that he slept with the lights on.
- give someone the creeps
- the creeps
- creep of fear
- creep down the spine
- the willies
equally informal American English phrase
- the heebie-jeebies
humorous informal; describes a silly or exaggerated fear
Grammar Patterns
give someone the creeps
the creeps
Usage Note
The phrase 'give someone the creeps' is far more common than using 'creep' alone for this meaning. Always use 'the' before 'creeps'.
Common Mistakes
5. the act of moving slowly with your body low against the floor or ground, using y
the act of moving slowly with your body low against the floor or ground, using your knees and hands for support or dragging yourself along
The baby took her first creep across the living-room rug while her parents cheered.
first creep = first crawling movement as a milestone
Ramón timed how long the tortoise took for each slow creep across the garden path.
The wounded soldier managed one last creep toward the shelter before collapsing.
With a careful creep the toddler moved past the sleeping dog without waking it.
- slow creep
- careful creep
- first creep
Grammar Patterns
a slow creep
a creep across/toward [something]
Usage Note
Less common than the verb 'crawl' for describing babies' movement. As a noun, 'creep' emphasises slowness and care rather than ordinary crawling.
creep — verb
- creeppresent simple I / you / we / they
- creepshe / she / it
- creptpast simple
- creeping-ing form
1. to move in a quiet, slow, and careful way so that other people do not see or hea
to move in a quiet, slow, and careful way so that other people do not see or hear you
Imran crept down the stairs at three in the morning to get a glass of water.
crept + direction (down the stairs) — typical pattern
The cat crept slowly toward the bird, its tail twitching with concentration.
Tyler crept past his brother's door so the noise would not wake the baby.
creep + past + noun = avoiding detection
Putri crept through the library stacks, careful not to let her shoes squeak on the floor.
The night-shift nurse crept into the apartment at dawn hoping her roommate was still asleep.
- creep up on
- creep into
- creep out of
- creep past
- creep away
- stomp
loud, heavy footsteps; opposite of quiet movement
Grammar Patterns
creep + adverb/preposition of direction
Usage Note
Past tense is 'crept', not 'creeped'. Nearly always followed by a preposition or adverb showing direction — 'creep in', 'creep out', 'creep past', 'creep up'.
Common Mistakes
2. to stay low and move along a surface by putting your weight on your knees and ha
to stay low and move along a surface by putting your weight on your knees and hands, or by pulling yourself forward on your belly
The soldiers had to creep under the barbed wire on their stomachs to reach safety.
creep under + noun phrase = body close to ground
Nikos crept along the narrow tunnel on his hands and knees until he saw daylight.
Hui's puppy crept under the sofa whenever the vacuum cleaner came out.
Darius watched the lizard creep across the hot sand toward the shade of a rock.
The toddler crept across the grass on all fours, chasing after a yellow butterfly.
- creep on hands and knees
- creep on all fours
- creep under
- creep along
- crawl
the usual neutral word; 'crawl' does not carry the secrecy meaning of 'creep'
- stand
opposite body position — upright rather than close to the ground
Grammar Patterns
creep + adverb/preposition of direction
Usage Note
Distinguished from sense 1 by the body being low to or touching the ground. The focus is on position and effort, not secrecy. For babies' natural movement, 'crawl' is the usual verb.
Common Mistakes
3. to grow slowly across a surface, as some plants do by sending out long stems, ro
to grow slowly across a surface, as some plants do by sending out long stems, roots, or tendrils that attach themselves as they spread
Ivy has crept up the entire back wall of the old stone cottage over many years.
creep up + wall — typical plant growth pattern
Morning glory vines crept across the wooden fence and into the neighbour's garden.
Wren watched the moss creep slowly over the damp stone statues in the park.
Blackberry bushes had crept across the abandoned railway tracks over the long hot summer.
Thick green vines crept up the pillars of the porch until the house looked half-hidden.
- creep up a wall
- creep across the ground
- creep over a surface
- creep along a fence
Grammar Patterns
creep + adverb/preposition of direction
creep up/over/across/along
Usage Note
Only used for plants that spread horizontally or climb with support. Does not describe trees or upright plants. Commonly used with 'up', 'over', 'across', and 'through'.
4. to behave with exaggerated friendliness and helpfulness toward someone in author
to behave with exaggerated friendliness and helpfulness toward someone in authority, hoping to gain an advantage or favour from them
Christopher spent all year creeping to the professor, hoping for a better grade.
creep + to [someone] = fawning for personal gain
Tamar refused to creep to her supervisor just to get the weekend off work.
The junior assistant crept to every manager in the building, which deeply annoyed the other staff.
crept to + every manager — plural object possible
Imran believed success came from hard work, not from creeping to the senior executives.
Nobody respected the intern after watching him creep to the director all afternoon.
- creep to the boss
- creep to the teacher
- creep to authority
- fawn over
more formal; 'fawn over someone' without requiring 'to'
- suck up to
very informal; common in American and British speech
- brown-nose
vulgar slang; very informal and rude
Grammar Patterns
creep to [someone]
Usage Note
Always used with the preposition 'to' followed by the person in authority. Past tense is 'crept to', not 'creeped to'. Strongly negative in tone — avoid using this to describe your own behaviour.
Common Mistakes
creep in
phrasal verbTo enter or appear gradually and often unnoticed.
Doubt began to creep in as the hours passed.
A cold draft crept in through the window crack.
creep into
phrasal verbTo enter something slowly and quietly, often without being noticed.
Mistakes can creep into your work if you rush.
A feeling of sadness crept into her heart.
creep out
phrasal verbTo cause someone to feel uneasy or frightened.
That horror movie really crept me out.
The strange noise from the basement crept him out.
creep up
phrasal verbTo move closer to someone or something slowly and quietly, often to surprise them.
The cat crept up on the bird in the garden.
Inflation has been creeping up over the past year.
creep up on
phrasal verbTo approach someone or something slowly and secretly, or to happen gradually and unexpectedly.
Old age crept up on him before he realized it.
She crept up on her brother to scare him.
To cause someone to feel very frightened or disgusted.
The old, abandoned house made my flesh creep.
His creepy smile made her flesh creep.
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
'Creep', 'sneak', 'tiptoe', and 'slink' all describe quiet or cautious movement, but they differ in purpose and body language. 'Creep' emphasises slow, careful movement to avoid being seen or heard — the focus is on the effort to remain unnoticed. 'Sneak' is broader: you can sneak a look, sneak out, or sneak food — it implies doing something secretly, often breaking a rule. 'Tiptoe' is specific to walking on the balls of your feet for silence; it does not require secrecy and can be done in plain sight. 'Slink' carries a negative emotional tone — you slink away when you feel guilty or ashamed. For example: 'The children crept past their parents' bedroom at midnight' (trying not to wake them); 'He sneaked a cookie from the jar when nobody was looking' (breaking a rule); 'She tiptoed across the wooden floor to avoid creaking the boards' (quiet walking); 'The dog slunk away after tearing the sofa cushions' (shame).
Common collocations
Etymology
'Creep' comes from the Old English word 'crēopan', which meant to move with the body close to the ground or to crawl. It shares ancient roots with similar words in other Germanic languages, such as Old Norse 'kriupa' and Dutch 'kruipen'. Over time the meaning broadened from physical crawling to include any slow, careful movement — and later, figurative uses about gradual change and insincere behaviour. The noun senses for 'an unpleasant person' and 'a fawning person' developed in 19th- and 20th-century informal English.