# crawl

> English word · Verb · IPA /kɹɔːl/ · frequency rank #10,026

## Definitions
1. To creep; to move slowly on hands and knees, or by dragging the body along the ground.
2. To move forward slowly, with frequent stops.
3. To act in a servile manner.
4. Followed by with: see crawl with.
5. To feel a swarming sensation.
6. To swim using the crawl stroke.
7. To move over (an area) on hands and knees.
8. To move over (an area) slowly, with frequent stops.
9. To visit files or web sites in order to index them for searching.

## Etymology
From Middle English crawlen, crewlen, creulen, crallen, *cravelen, from Old Norse krafla (compare Danish kravle (“to crawl, creep”), Swedish kravla, kräla (“to creep, crawl”)), from Proto-Germanic *krablōną (compare Saterland Frisian krabbelje, Dutch krabbelen, German Low German krabbeln, German krabbeln), frequentative of *krabbōną (“to scratch, scrape”). Compare also Saterland Frisian krauelje (“to crawl, scuttle”), West Frisian kreauwelje (“to crawl”), Dutch krevelen, krieuwelen (“to crawl”), German Low German kribbeln, German kribbeln (“to creep, crawl, tingle”). See also crab, crabble.

## Easily confused with
- **crew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crawl-vs-crew)
- **crow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crawl-vs-crow)
- **cray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crawl-vs-cray)
- **crazy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crawl-vs-crazy)
- **crowd** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crawl-vs-crowd)
- **crown** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crawl-vs-crown)
- **cruel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crawl-vs-cruel)
- **crews** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crawl-vs-crews)
- **crows** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crawl-vs-crows)
- **craze** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crawl-vs-craze)
- **Crewe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crawl-vs-crewe)
- **Crawley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crawl-vs-crawley)
- **crawler** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crawl-vs-crawler)
- **cal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cal-vs-crawl)
- **caw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caw-vs-crawl)
- **call** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/call-vs-crawl)
- **coal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coal-vs-crawl)
- **crap** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crap-vs-crawl)
- **carl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carl-vs-crawl)
- **crab** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-crawl)

## Common misspellings (8)
`carwl`, `ccrawl`, `cralw`, `crawll`, `crawwl`, `crrawl`, `crwal`, `rcawl`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/crawl