ENGLISH
REFERENCE

crawl

v. · n.
US //ˈkɹɔɫ// UK //kɹˈɔːl// crawl
  1. 1 to move on hands and knees (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to move along the ground on your hands and knees.

    to move the body close to the ground using the hands and knees for traction.

    Example

    The baby started to crawl across the living room toward her favorite toy.

    Example

    The soldiers were forced to crawl through the dense undergrowth to avoid detection by the enemy scouts stationed on the ridge.
  2. 2 to move very slowly (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to move forward at a very slow speed, like cars in heavy traffic.

    to progress at an exceptionally slow pace, often due to congestion or physical obstacles.

    Example

    Traffic was so bad that we had to crawl along the highway for three hours.

    Example

    The project began to crawl as bureaucratic hurdles and funding delays sapped the team's initial momentum.
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  1. 3 to index websites (v.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    to visit websites automatically to collect information for a search engine.

    to systematically browse the World Wide Web using an automated program to index content for search engines.

    Example

    Search engines crawl millions of pages every day to keep their results updated.

    Example

    The new algorithm changed how the bot would crawl dynamic pages, ensuring that frequently updated content was indexed more efficiently.
  2. 4 swimming stroke (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Sport

    a fast way of swimming where you move your arms over your head one after the other.

    a swimming stroke performed in a prone position, characterized by alternate overarm movements and a flutter kick.

    Example

    She practiced her crawl for an hour to prepare for the swim meet.

    Example

    The athlete's crawl was remarkably efficient, allowing him to maintain a steady lead throughout the final lap of the race.
  3. 5 scrolling text (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    text that moves across the bottom of a TV screen, usually for news or weather.

    a horizontal or vertical scrolling display of text overlaid on a television or film image.

    Example

    The news crawl at the bottom of the screen announced the election results.

    Example

    During the emergency broadcast, the crawl provided constant updates on the storm's trajectory while the main anchor interviewed local officials.
  4. 6 visiting several places (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    a social activity where you visit several bars or shops in one night.

    an organized social activity involving a sequential visit to multiple establishments, typically bars.

    Example

    The students went on a pub crawl to celebrate the end of their exams.

    Example

    The city's annual charity bar crawl attracted hundreds of participants, all dressed in matching festive costumes.
Etymology 1

From Middle English crawlen, crewlen, creulen, crallen, cravelen, from Old Norse krafla (compare Danish kravle (“to crawl, creep”), Swedish kravla, kräla (“to creep, crawl”)), from Proto-Germanic krablōną (compare Saterland Frisian krabbelje, Dutch krabbelen, German Low German krabbeln, German krabbeln), frequentative of *krabbōną (“to scratch, scrape”). Compare also Saterland Frisian krauelje (“to crawl, scuttle”), West Frisian kreauwelje (“to crawl”), Dutch krevelen, krieuwelen (“to crawl”), German Low German kribbeln, German kribbeln (“to creep, crawl, tingle”). See also crab, crabble.

Etymology 2

Compare kraal.

Word family
Idioms5 entries

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