crept

Verb

creep (third-person singular simple present creeps, present participle creeping, simple past crept or creeped or (archaic) crope, past participle crept or creeped or (archaic) crope or (archaic) cropen)

1. (intransitive) To move slowly with the abdomen close to the ground.
   • Lizards and snakes crept over the ground.

   Synonyms:

   crawl

2. (intransitive) To grow across a surface rather than upwards.
3. (intransitive) To move slowly and quietly in a particular direction.
   • He tried to creep past the guard without being seen.
4. (intransitive) To make small gradual changes, usually in a particular direction.
   • Prices have been creeping up all year.
5. (idiomatic) To move in a stealthy or secret manner; to move imperceptibly or clandestinely; to insinuate itself or oneself.
   • Old age creeps upon us.

   Synonyms:

   steal in

6. To slip, or to become slightly displaced.
   • The collodion on a negative, or a coat of varnish, may creep in drying.

See all 20 meanings of creep