creeps

[kreeps] /krips/
noun, (used with a singular verb)
1.
Veterinary Pathology. a disease of the bones in sheep and cattle that causes pain in walking, resulting from a deficiency of phosphorus in the diet.
Origin
so called from the effect on the animal's gait; see creep, -s3

creep

[kreep] /krip/
verb (used without object), crept, creeping.
1.
to move slowly with the body close to the ground, as a reptile or an insect, or a person on hands and knees.
2.
to approach slowly, imperceptibly, or stealthily (often followed by up):
We crept up and peeked over the wall.
3.
to move or advance slowly or gradually:
The automobile crept up the hill. Time just seems to creep along on these hot summer days.
4.
to sneak up behind someone or without someone's knowledge (usually followed by up on):
The prisoners crept up on the guard and knocked him out.
5.
to enter or become evident inconspicuously, gradually, or insidiously (often followed by in or into:) The writer's personal bias occasionally creeps into the account.
6.
to move or behave timidly or servilely.
7.
to grow along the ground, a wall, etc., as a plant.
8.
to advance or develop gradually so as to infringe on or supplant something else.
9.
Slang.
  1. to flirt with or make persistent sexual advances toward someone (often followed by on):
    He creeps on all the women he meets.
  2. to cheat on one’s sexual partner:
    He caught his wife creepin' with the guy who lives next-door.
10.
Slang. to follow someone persistently or stealthily, as on a social-networking website (often followed by on):
He spends a lot of time creeping on her Facebook profile.
11.
Slang. to suddenly intrude into someone’s photograph as it is being taken:
Who’s that creeping in the background of the picture?
12.
to slip, slide, or shift gradually; become displaced.
13.
(of a metal object) to become deformed, as under continuous loads or at high temperatures.
14.
Nautical. to grapple (usually followed by for):
The ships crept for their anchor chains.
verb (used with object), crept, creeping.
15.
Slang. to follow persistently or stealthily, especially online:
I’ve been creeping her blog and found some great recipes.
16.
Archaic. to creep along or over.
noun
17.
an act or instance of creeping:
It seems as if time has slowed to a creep.
18.
Slang. a boring, disturbingly eccentric, painfully introverted, or obnoxious person.
19.
Slang. an intelligence or counterintelligence agent; spy.
20.
Slang. creeper (def 9).
21.
a gradual or inconspicuous increase, advance, change, or development: Avoid jargon creep in your writing.
We are seeing the steady creep of consumerism.
22.
Geology.
  1. the gradual movement downhill of loose soil, rock, gravel, etc.; solifluction.
  2. the slow deformation of solid rock resulting from constant stress applied over long periods.
23.
Mechanics. the gradual, permanent deformation of a body produced by a continued application of heat or stress.
24.
a grappling iron; grapnel.
25.
Firearms. the slack in a trigger mechanism before it releases the firing pin.
26.
creep feeder.
27.
the creeps, Informal. a sensation of horror, fear, disgust, etc., suggestive of the feeling induced by something crawling over the skin:
That horror movie gave me the creeps.
Idioms
28.
make one's flesh creep, to be frightening or repellent; cause one to experience uneasiness:
The eerie stories made our flesh creep.
Origin
before 900; Middle English crepen, Old English crēopan; cognate with Dutch kruipen, Old Norse krjūpa
Related forms
creepingly, adverb
noncreeping, adjective
outcreep, verb (used with object), outcrept, outcreeping.
uncreeping, adjective
Synonyms
1. See crawl1 . 3. inch, crawl, dawdle, poke.

creeper

[kree-per] /ˈkri pər/
noun
1.
a person or thing that creeps.
2.
Botany. a plant that grows upon or just beneath the surface of the ground, or upon any other surface, sending out rootlets from the stem, as ivy and couch grass.
3.
Often, creepers. a one-piece garment for an infant, the lower portion resembling briefs and having snaps or buttons across the crotch for convenience in diapering.
4.
Chiefly Northeastern U.S. a spiked iron plate worn on the shoe to prevent slipping on ice, rock, etc.
5.
Also called cradle. Automotive. a flat framework on casters, on which a mechanic lies while working under an automobile or the like.
6.
Ornithology. any of various birds that creep or climb about on trees, especially of the family Certhiidae, as Certhia americana (brown creeper or tree creeper) of the Northern Hemisphere.
7.
a domestic fowl having malformed, short legs, due to a genetic defect.
8.
a grappling device for dragging a river, lake, etc.
9.
Also, creep. Slang. a sneak thief.
10.
Slang. a person who makes persistent sexual advances toward someone, or who cheats on a sexual partner.
11.
Slang. creep (def 18).
12.
Slang. a person who follows someone persistently or stealthily; a stalker.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English crepere, Old English crēopere. See creep, -er1
Examples from the web for creeps
  • Tarantulas give some people the creeps because of their large, hairy bodies and legs.
  • Even if the robot creeps you out, a laugh track might tell you to feel other wise.
  • Interesting that in this article on hypocrisy, the subject of integrity never creeps in.
  • Slide the protector into place, press the center and the adhesive creeps betwixt screen and cover all by itself.
  • He made every putt he needed to and avoided the big number that sometimes creeps into his game on the weekend.
  • The dominant weather pattern also plays a big role in how extensive the marine layer will be and how far inland it creeps.
  • It got rather personal a few years ago, with references to evolution by creeps and evolution by jerks.
  • The zealots, bigots and creeps on both sides come across with equal clarity.
  • Some actuating characteristic experiments have been performed, where the micro robot creeps in declining rubber tubes.
  • The roach creeps obediently inside and sits there quietly as the wasp lays her egg on its underside.
British Dictionary definitions for creeps

creeps

/kriːps/
plural noun
1.
(informal) the creeps, a feeling of fear, repulsion, disgust, etc

creep

/kriːp/
verb (intransitive) creeps, creeping, crept
1.
to crawl with the body near to or touching the ground
2.
to move slowly, quietly, or cautiously
3.
to act in a servile way; fawn; cringe
4.
to move or slip out of place, as from pressure or wear
5.
(of plants) to grow along the ground or over rocks, producing roots, suckers, or tendrils at intervals
6.
(of a body or substance) to become permanently deformed as a result of an applied stress, often when combined with heating
7.
to develop gradually: creeping unrest
8.
to have the sensation of something crawling over the skin
9.
(of metals) to undergo slow plastic deformation
noun
10.
the act of creeping or a creeping movement
11.
(slang) a person considered to be obnoxious or servile
12.
the continuous permanent deformation of a body or substance as a result of stress or heat
13.
(geology) the gradual downwards movement of loose rock material, soil, etc, on a slope
14.
a slow relative movement of two adjacent parts, structural components, etc
15.
slow plastic deformation of metals
See also creeps
Word Origin
Old English crēopan; related to Old Frisian kriāpa, Old Norse krjūpa, Middle Low German krūpen

creeper

/ˈkriːpə/
noun
1.
a person or animal that creeps
2.
a plant, such as the ivy or periwinkle, that grows by creeping
3.
(US & Canadian) Also called tree creeper. any small songbird of the family Certhiidae of the N hemisphere, having a brown-and-white plumage and slender downward-curving bill. They creep up trees to feed on insects
4.
a hooked instrument for dragging deep water
5.
Also called cradle. a flat board or framework mounted on casters, used to lie on when working under cars
6.
(cricket) Also called daisy cutter. a bowled ball that keeps low or travels along the ground
7.
either of a pair of low iron supports for logs in a hearth
8.
(informal) a shoe with a soft sole
Word Origin and History for creeps

creep

v.

Old English creopan "to creep" (class II strong verb; past tense creap, past participle cropen), from Proto-Germanic *kreupanan (cf. Old Frisian kriapa, Middle Dutch crupen, Old Norse krjupa "to creep"), from PIE root *greug-. Related: Crept; creeping.

n.

"a creeping motion," 1818, from creep (v.). Meaning "despicable person" is 1935, American English slang, perhaps from earlier sense of "sneak thief" (1914). Creeper "a gilded rascal" is recorded from c.1600, and the word also was used of certain classes of thieves, especially those who robbed customers in brothels. The creeps "a feeling of dread or revulsion" first attested 1849, in Dickens.

creeper

n.

Old English creopera "one who creeps," agent noun from creep (v.). Also see creep (n.). Meaning "lice" is from 1570s; of certain birds from 1660s; of certain plants from 1620s.

Slang definitions & phrases for creeps

creep

noun

A disgusting and obnoxious person; crud, jerk, nerd •An isolated 1886 use seems to refer specifically to a cringing sycophant rather than a generally repulsive person: The man is nothing but a creep/ poets loyal to Blake and Whitman, the ''holy creeps''/ How to spend our money on making some creepo more creative in the growing world of weirdness

[first form 1930s+ students, second 1950s+; origin uncertain; perhaps fr one who makes one's flesh creep;perhaps generalized fr one who cringes and curries favor]


creeper

noun
  1. The lowest gear on a truck (1930s+ Truckers)
  2. A performer who moves closer and closer to the microphone (1940s+ Radio studio)
  3. A sneak thief: He knew they couldn't be boosters or creepers, not flashing their bread the way these two were doing (1930s+ Underworld)

Related Abbreviations for creeps

CREEP

Committee to Reelect the President
Idioms and Phrases with creeps

creep

In addition to the idiom beginning with
creep
also see:
Encyclopedia Article for creeps

creeper

any of various small birds that hug tree trunks or rock surfaces as they move about while feeding. The following are songbirds (suborder Passeres; order Passeriformes):

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