creeping
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A slow, stealthy, or gradual movement, often close to the ground: The act of moving slowly and carefully, typically on hands and knees or by dragging the body, often to avoid detection or due to difficulty. 2. A slow, imperceptible advance or spread: The gradual, often unnoticed progression or extension of something.
Usage
The noun "creeping" describes the action or process of moving or advancing very slowly. It often implies stealth, caution, or a laborious effort. It can be used literally for physical movement or figuratively for abstract concepts like feelings or changes.
Examples
- Literal Movement:
- The soldiers advanced by creeping through the underbrush.
- The baby's first creeping soon turned into confident crawling.
- Figurative Advance/Spread:
- There is a creeping sense of doubt among the team members.
- We must address the creeping inflation before it gets out of control.
Advanced Usage
- "the creeps" (idiom, related but distinct noun): A feeling of fear, disgust, or revulsion.
- That old, abandoned house gives me the creeps.
- Used to describe plants that grow along the ground.
- The creeping ivy covered the stone wall.
Variants and Related Words
- Creep (verb): To move slowly and stealthily.
- Try not to creep up on people; you'll startle them.
- Creep (noun): 1. A slow movement. 2. (Informal) An unpleasant or repulsive person.
- Creepy (adjective): Causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or unease.
- The fog made the forest path look creepy.
Synonyms
- Crawling
- Inching
- Sneaking
- Slithering
- Gradual spread
Related Phrases
- Creeping in: To begin to appear or be noticed gradually.
- Mistakes started creeping in as the team grew tired.
- Creep up on: To approach someone or something slowly and stealthily. Also used figuratively for time or events.
- The deadline seems to have crept up on us.
Noun
- a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
- a crawl was all that the injured man could manage
- the traffic moved at a creep