creep

verb

/kriːp/

In the phrasal verb creep somebody out, creeped is used for the past simple and past participle.

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they creep	/kriːp/ /kriːp/
he / she / it creeps	/kriːps/ /kriːps/
past simple crept	/krept/ /krept/
past participle crept	/krept/ /krept/
-ing form creeping	/ˈkriːpɪŋ/ /ˈkriːpɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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[intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) (of people or animals) to move slowly, quietly and carefully, because you do not want to be seen or heard
- I crept up the stairs, trying not to wake my parents.
- I heard someone creeping around the house.
Extra Examples
- He crept stealthily along the corridor.
- He crept up behind me.
- I could hear someone creeping around downstairs.
- He crept forward towards the sound of voices.
- She crept into her sister's room.
- The cat was creeping stealthily through the long grass.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- quietly
- silently
- slowly
- …
preposition
- along
- down
- into
- …
See full entry
[intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) (North American English) to move with your body close to the ground; to move slowly on your hands and knees synonym crawl
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- quietly
- silently
- slowly
- …
preposition
- along
- down
- into
- …
See full entry
[intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) to move or develop very slowly
- Her arms crept around his neck.
- A slight feeling of suspicion crept over me.
Extra Examples
- A feeling of dread crept over him.
- Trucks are creeping along Interstate 70 in convoys.
[intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) (of plants) to grow along the ground or up walls using long stems or roots see also creeper
[intransitive] creep (to somebody) (British English, informal, disapproving) to be too friendly or helpful to somebody in authority in a way that is not sincere, especially in order to get an advantage from them

Word OriginOld English crēopan ‘move with the body close to the ground’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kruipen. Sense 1 of the verb dates from Middle English.

Idioms

make your flesh creep

to make you feel afraid or full of horror
- Just the sight of him makes my flesh creep.
- The story made his flesh creep.
Topics Feelingsc2

creep

noun

/kriːp/

Idioms

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[countable] (informal) a person that you dislike very much and find very unpleasant
- He's a nasty little creep!
- You little creep!
[countable] (British English, informal) a person who is not sincere but tries to win your approval by being nice to you
- He’s the sort of creep who would do that kind of thing!
[uncountable] (often in compounds) (often disapproving) the development of a project beyond the goal that was originally agreed
- The World Bank has been accused of mission creep when seeking to address these concerns.
- The inclusion of health data on identity cards was condemned as function creep.
- creep of something We need to prevent this slow creep of costs.
- The creep of suburban shopping malls is shrinking the countryside.
Topics Change, cause and effectc2

Word OriginOld English crēopan ‘move with the body close to the ground’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kruipen. Sense 1 of the verb dates from Middle English.

Idioms

give somebody the creeps

(informal) to make somebody feel nervous and slightly frightened, especially because somebody/something is unpleasant or strange
- This old house gives me the creeps.
Topics Feelingsc2