Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Crawl?

\Crawl\ (kr[add]l), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Crawled} (kr[add]ld); p. pr. & vb. n. {Crawling}.] [Dan. kravle, or Icel. krafla, to paw, scrabble with the hands; akin to Sw. kr[aum]la to crawl; cf. LG. krabbeln, D. krabbelen to scratch.] 1. To move slowly by drawing the body along the ground, as a worm; to move slowly on hands and knees; to creep. A worm finds what it searches after only by feeling, as it crawls from one thing to another. --Grew. 2. Hence, to move or advance in a feeble, slow, or timorous manner. He was hardly able to crawl about the room. --Arbuthnot. The meanest thing that crawl'd beneath my eyes. --Byron. 3. To advance slowly and furtively; to insinuate one's self; to advance or gain influence by servile or obsequious conduct. Secretly crawling up the battered walls. --Knolles. Hath crawled into the favor of the king. --Shak. Absurd opinions crawl about the world. --South. 4. To have a sensation as of insect creeping over the body; as, the flesh crawls. See {Creep}, v. i., 7.
\Crawl\ (kr?l), n. The act or motion of crawling; slow motion, as of a creeping animal.
\Crawl\, n. [Cf. {Kraal}.] A pen or inclosure of stakes and hurdles on the seacoast, for holding fish.