# creep

Pronunciation: say "KREEP" /kɹiːp/

## Noun

1. An unpleasant, eccentric person who makes others feel uncomfortable or repelled. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: An unpleasant, strange person who makes other people feel uneasy.
   - _The new neighbor is a real creep who watches people through his window._
   - _She called him a creep after he followed her home from work._
5. The gradual expansion of something beyond its intended goals or limits, viewed as a negative development.
   - Simple: The slow spread of something past its first limits, in a way people see as bad.
   - _Scope creep delayed the software release by several months._
   - _Mission creep gradually turned a small relief effort into a full deployment._
6. A person who engages in sexually inappropriate behavior or harassment toward others. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A person who behaves in a sexual way that makes others feel disgusted or unsafe.
   - _Her coworkers warned her that the manager was a creep._
   - _He turned out to be a creep who wouldn't take no for an answer._
10. A small gradual change, variation, or deviation in a measurement from its intended value.
   - Simple: A small, slow change in a measured value away from what was planned.
   - _Engineers corrected for creep in the instrument's baseline before each test._
   - _Over several months, creep in the calibration produced noticeable errors._
14. A slight displacement of an object, or the small movement of something from its position.
   - Simple: A small, slow movement of something out of its place.
   - _A gradual creep in the rails forced repairs after the cold months._
   - _The slight creep of the foundation worried the building inspectors._
15. The slow crawling motion of a creature such as a worm or snail.
   - Simple: The slow crawling movement of animals like worms or snails.
   - _The steady creep of earthworms keeps the soil loose and aerated._
   - _You could barely see the creep of the slug along the wet path._
16. The gradual deformation of a material under sustained stress, increasing as strain builds over time.
   - Simple: The slow stretching or bending of a material when force is put on it for a long time.
   - _Turbine blades suffer creep when they operate at high temperatures for extended periods._
   - _Engineers account for creep when designing structures that bear constant loads._
17. The slow, barely noticeable downhill movement of surface rock and soil on a slope.
   - Simple: The very slow, downhill movement of soil and rock on a slope.
   - _Soil creep gradually shifted the stone wall several inches downhill._
   - _Geologists measured creep on the slope by tracking marked stakes year after year._
19. In sewn books, the tendency of the inner pages of a folded section to project farther than the outer pages.
   - Simple: In sewn books, the way the inner pages of a folded section stick out past the outer ones.
   - _Designers adjusted the margins to counter the creep in the saddle-stitched booklet._
   - _The thicker the paper, the more creep appears in a folded section._
20. A barrier with small openings that lets smaller animals pass through while keeping larger ones out.
   - Simple: A fence with small gaps that lets young animals through but keeps big ones out.
   - _The lambs fed safely inside the creep, out of reach of the larger ewes._
   - _A well-placed creep lets young piglets get extra feed without competition._

## Verb

2. To move slowly and quietly in a chosen direction.
   - Simple: To move slowly and quietly toward a place.
   - _Soldiers creep through the underbrush to avoid detection._
   - _She crept across the darkened room and slipped out unnoticed._
3. To move in a stealthy or secret way, or to gradually work in and insinuate itself unnoticed.
   - Simple: To move in a secret way, or to slowly enter a place without being noticed.
   - _A sense of unease crept through the crowd as the lights dimmed._
   - _Spies creep into enemy camps under the cover of darkness._
4. To move slowly along the ground with the abdomen close to the surface.
   - Simple: To move slowly along the ground with the belly close to it.
   - _Snakes creep silently through the tall grass toward their prey._
   - _The infant crept toward the toy on his hands and knees._
7. To change in small gradual steps, usually moving in a particular direction.
   - Simple: To change slowly, little by little, usually in one direction.
   - _Interest rates creep upward whenever inflation begins to rise._
   - _Her grades crept up steadily over the course of the semester._
8. Of a plant, to grow spreading across a surface rather than upward.
   - Simple: To grow flat across a surface instead of growing upward.
   - _Strawberry plants creep along the ground, sending out new runners._
   - _Moss crept across the damp stones near the stream._
9. To feel a crawling sensation on the skin, as though insects were moving over the body.
   - Simple: To feel as if insects are moving on your skin, often from fear or disgust.
   - _The eerie silence in the hallway made her flesh creep._
   - _His skin crept at the sight of the writhing maggots._
11. To behave with servility or exaggerated humility in order to win favor; to fawn.
   - Simple: To act in a weak, flattering way to please someone more powerful.
   - _Courtiers learned to creep before the king, flattering his every whim._
   - _She refused to creep to anyone just to advance her career._
12. To cheat on one's main partner by secretly having sex with someone else. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To secretly have sex with someone who is not your partner.
   - _Everyone in the neighborhood knew he was creeping behind his girlfriend's back._
   - _Friends warned her that he might creep the moment she left town._
13. To slip or become slightly displaced, usually by a small, gradual amount.
   - Simple: To slip slowly out of place, little by little.
   - _The belt tends to creep whenever the machine runs at high speed._
   - _The knot had crept loose during the long climb._
18. To drag along the deep sea bottom with grappling hooks, as when recovering a submarine cable.
   - Simple: To drag the sea bottom with hooks to pull up something like a sunken cable.
   - _The repair ship would creep the ocean floor for miles to find the severed cable._
   - _They crept the channel slowly, hoping to hook the lost anchor chain._

## Origin

From Middle English crepen, from Old English crēopan ("to creep, crawl"), which goes back through Proto-Germanic *kreupaną to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to turn or wind." It is related to Dutch kruipen, Danish krybe, and Swedish krypa. The noun is derived from the verb.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/creep (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).