Dictionary definition · crawl
noun
- a very slow movement"the traffic advanced at a crawl"
- a swimming stroke; arms are moved alternately overhead accompanied by a flutter kick
- a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body"a crawl was all that the injured man could manage"
verb
- move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground"The crocodile was crawling along the riverbed"
- feel as if crawling with insects"My skin crawled — I was terrified"
- be full of"The old cheese was crawling with maggots"
- show submission or fear
- swim by doing the crawl"European children learn the breast stroke; they often don't know how to crawl"
Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).