crawling

British

/ ˈkrɔːlɪŋ /

noun

a defect in freshly applied paint or varnish characterized by bare patches and ridging

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Mpoyi and Crean Lutheran traveled to Mesa, Ariz., last June and captured a bracket title at Section 7, an event crawling with college coaches.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

While the motives that drive a knight are often human, political, or both, the logic is as miraculous and irrational as a muddy hedge knight crawling out from under a fallen dragon.

From Salon • Feb. 25, 2026

Morag said Hamish was at "the ideal age where I didn't have to carry solid food for him yet and he wasn't yet crawling".

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026

Spiro favors crawling tempos and unadorned piano melodies, which leave more room for her husky voice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

I picture him in my head, and that helps me keep crawling.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023