Phrasal verb
creep over
Definition
phrasal verb. to slowly start to feel a certain emotion or sensation. You use this when a feeling grows on you gradually until you notice it.
phrasal verb. to gradually begin to affect or be perceived by someone, typically in reference to a physical sensation or an emotional state. This phrasal verb is intransitive when describing a feeling spreading across a person.
Examples
“A feeling of fear began to creep over her.”
“As the sun set and the temperature dropped, a sudden chill started to creep over the hikers.”
“A sense of profound exhaustion began to creep over the exhausted surgeon as the final operation of the night concluded.”
Examples
simple
“A feeling of fear began to creep over her.”
contextual
“As the sun set and the temperature dropped, a sudden chill started to creep over the hikers.”
complex
“A sense of profound exhaustion began to creep over the exhausted surgeon as the final operation of the night concluded.”
Usage
usually used with abstract nouns like 'dread', 'tiredness', 'silence', or 'cold'.
Teaching tip
the verb 'creep' implies a slow, stealthy movement; help students visualize the feeling moving like a slow-moving mist or a quiet animal.
Pitfall
The sadness crept over to me.
The sadness crept over me.
the particle 'over' functions as the preposition here, so adding 'to' is redundant and incorrect.
Phrasal verb
Particles
over
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
creep + over + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/creep-over