as in jerks
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
finally found the creep who kept throwing his trash in the woods
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in encroaches
to advance gradually beyond the usual or desirable limits
water crept slowly over the top of the tub and onto the floor
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in lingers
to move or act slowly
that Friday afternoon we were just creeping, waiting for the bell to sound so that we could start the long weekend
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of creeps
Jd Barker, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2026
The Financial Times stepped inside the home of Rirkrit Tiravanija on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, where lush greenery spills through expansive windows and creeps into the interior itself.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
This summer flower creeps along to eventually drape over the sides of window boxes and baskets.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 5 Apr. 2026
Everybody on the right creeps left, and everybody on the left creeps right.
—Charlotte Observer, 30 Mar. 2026
Artemis 2 rocket creeps along toward launch pad NASA's Artemis 2 moon rocket, the second-ever Space Launch System booster, is slowly making progress along the 4-mile journey to its Florida pad at Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 27 Mar. 2026
Fear creeps in as cases continue to rise The lack of official narrative may have led local folks to a premature sense of safety, believing that the outbreak had ended even as cases continue to add up.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026
The draft is interesting because there aren’t the top-of-the-board type options like last year (Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren) but the closer late April creeps, the deeper many people believe the tight end crop is on the whole.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2026
Ad dollars are crucial as the cost of staging the tournament creeps ever upwards.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 Mar. 2026
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 2026
Win it, and suddenly the series tightens, the doubt creeps in and the path gets a lot more complicated for Orlando.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
As the world creeps toward peak travel season, industry leaders are taking notice of the fuel shortages.
—Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 13 Apr. 2026
The bottom line Concentration risk often creeps into your portfolio over time.
—Doug Ashburn, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
The same game of legislative chicken now starts anew as the calendar creeps toward April.
—Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
This time round, though, an unfortunate silliness sometimes creeps in, where the film risks tipping over Shakespearean-size emotions into embarrassing bathos.
—Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026
The curved shadow of the Earth that creeps across the moon during lunar eclipses is key to humankind’s understanding of our planet.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Here, the gentle tide creeps back and forth as a soothing marker of the passing day.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Feb. 2026
Noun
If the reader cannot answer those questions quickly, doubt creeps in.
—Jd Barker, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2026
The Financial Times stepped inside the home of Rirkrit Tiravanija on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, where lush greenery spills through expansive windows and creeps into the interior itself.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
This summer flower creeps along to eventually drape over the sides of window boxes and baskets.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 5 Apr. 2026
Everybody on the right creeps left, and everybody on the left creeps right.
—Charlotte Observer, 30 Mar. 2026
Artemis 2 rocket creeps along toward launch pad NASA's Artemis 2 moon rocket, the second-ever Space Launch System booster, is slowly making progress along the 4-mile journey to its Florida pad at Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 27 Mar. 2026
Fear creeps in as cases continue to rise The lack of official narrative may have led local folks to a premature sense of safety, believing that the outbreak had ended even as cases continue to add up.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026
The draft is interesting because there aren’t the top-of-the-board type options like last year (Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren) but the closer late April creeps, the deeper many people believe the tight end crop is on the whole.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2026
Ad dollars are crucial as the cost of staging the tournament creeps ever upwards.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
Mildew creeps along the corners of the tub.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 2026
Win it, and suddenly the series tightens, the doubt creeps in and the path gets a lot more complicated for Orlando.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
As the world creeps toward peak travel season, industry leaders are taking notice of the fuel shortages.
—Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 13 Apr. 2026
The bottom line Concentration risk often creeps into your portfolio over time.
—Doug Ashburn, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
The same game of legislative chicken now starts anew as the calendar creeps toward April.
—Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
This time round, though, an unfortunate silliness sometimes creeps in, where the film risks tipping over Shakespearean-size emotions into embarrassing bathos.
—Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026
The curved shadow of the Earth that creeps across the moon during lunar eclipses is key to humankind’s understanding of our planet.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Here, the gentle tide creeps back and forth as a soothing marker of the passing day.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for creeps
Noun
-
This was just the beginning of us young anarchists becoming judgmental jerks.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2026
-
In the new sequel, Grace teams with her estranged younger sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton), as they’re hunted by four elite families full of murderous jerks scrambling to become the High Seat of a Council that controls the world.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Meta, Anthropic and Apple all now use TPUs, as Google increasingly encroaches on a market cornered by Nvidia's graphics processing units.—
Katie Tarasov,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
-
As the Chinese men shoot the breeze and play cards, a mob of armed white miners gathers over the hill and encroaches on the unsuspecting outsiders.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The threat of death always lingers – just ask my wooden stairs.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The Panama Canal is experiencing an uptick in traffic and generating more lucrative bids to transit the trade artery, aligning with a spike in demand for its reservation system as the Iran war lingers and uncertainty persists regarding the safety of the Strait of Hormuz.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Think about how often your toddler crawls near the dog bed or your kids toss pet toys around the living room.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In the book, Grace drags Rocky back to his part of the ship, exposing himself to the Eridian environment; in the film, Rocky crawls back while Grace is unconscious.—
Matthew Razak,
Space.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The trio pulled up on e-bikes, drove up to the entrance of the Information Center and began shouting and taking pictures, pausing to take drags off a vape while peering through the shuttered doors.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Work fewer than 35 years and the SSA plugs zeros into the missing slots, which drags your benefit down.—
Allison Palmer,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The script lightly pokes fun at the lofty ambitions of theater-makers who aim to change lives through their art, while ultimately affirming the power of theater to lift people’s spirits.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The clip also pokes fun at Roach's retirement announcement in 2023, only to return to the industry two years later.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Another car snakes down the road.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Londoners won’t queue for just anything, but the coffee and pastries at Jolene are well worth joining the line that often snakes around the corner.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Tristan returns home and greets James while Siegfried shuffles the woman out the window.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
-
That is not unique — Major League Baseball’s offseason shuffles along at a deliberate pace, just as the Dodgers historically have liked.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Creeps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/creeps. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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