creep

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++

Related topics: Plants, Nature

creep1 /kriːp/ ●●○ verb (past tense and past participle crept /krept/) [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]  1  MOVE/CHANGE POSITIONto move in a quiet, careful way, especially to avoid attracting attention 悄悄地小心行进，蹑手蹑脚地移动creep into/over/around etc Johann would creep into the gallery to listen to the singers. 约翰会悄悄溜进楼座去听歌手唱歌。 He crept back up the stairs, trying to avoid the ones that creaked. 他蹑手蹑脚地回楼上，尽量避开那些嘎吱作响的梯级。► see thesaurus at walk2  MOVE/CHANGE POSITIONif something such as an insect, small animal, or car creeps, it moves slowly and quietly 〔昆虫、小动物、汽车等〕轻声地缓慢行进，爬行，匍匐 → crawlcreep down/along/away etc a caterpillar creeping down my arm 顺着我的胳膊慢慢爬下的毛虫3  CHANGE FROM ONE THING TO ANOTHERto gradually enter something and change it 渐渐侵入，逐渐融进creep in/into/over etc Funny how religion is creeping into the environmental debate. 很奇怪宗教怎么会融进有关环境的辩论中。4  HBPif a plant creeps, it grows or climbs up or along a particular place 〔植物〕攀缘，蔓生creep up/over/around etc ivy creeping up the walls of the building 爬满建筑物墙面的常春藤5  DNAIRif mist, clouds etc creep, they gradually fill or cover a place 〔雾、云等〕弥漫creep into/over etc Fog was creeping into the valley. 雾慢慢地飘进山谷。6  FRIENDLY British English informal to be insincerely nice to someone, especially someone in authority, in order to gain an advantage for yourself 卑躬屈膝，巴结奉承creep (up) to somebody I’m not the kind of person to creep to anybody. 我不是那种会巴结别人的人。7  somebody/something makes my flesh creep FRIGHTENEDused to say that someone or something makes you feel strong dislike or fear 某人/某事物使我心里发毛[恐惧] His glassy stare made my flesh creep. 他那呆滞的盯视使我毛骨悚然。n8 creep somebody out phrasal verb informal to make someone feel nervous, uncomfortable, and slightly frightened He's always staring at me - it creeps me out!9 creep up on somebody/something phrasal verb a) SURPRISEDto surprise someone by walking up behind them silently 从后面悄悄靠近〔而吓人一跳〕 Don’t yell – let’s creep up on them and scare them. 别喊，让我们悄悄从他们后面走过去吓他们一跳。b) INCREASE IN ACTIVITY, FEELINGS ETCif a feeling or idea creeps up on you, it gradually increases 〔感情或观点〕渐渐变强 The feeling she had for Malcolm had crept up on her and taken her by surprise. 她对马尔科姆的感情逐渐加深，她自己都感到吃惊。c) HAPPENto seem to come sooner than you expect 不知不觉中到来 Somehow, the end of term had crept up on us. 不知不觉又到学期末了。→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

creep• Clouds crept across the horizon, just above the line of trees.• This relative of the dogwood family, whose trees are well known farther south, here creeps along just under the soil.• A sensible person respected the sleeping beast and crept away.• We crept down to the deserted library at the other end of the hall, so that we could talk.• She crept into Chrissy's room, shutting the door silently behind her.• No-one noticed that the little boy had crept into the room and was sitting there, listening.• But if you keep looking beyond the reflections you eventually notice the glow creeping into the sky.• Ron unlocked the back door and crept out into the yard.• As the sun began to set, long shadows seemed to creep out of the corners.• She crept up behind him and put her hands over his eyes.• Trying to stay calm, he crept up on the statue.• Armed men in ski masks crept up on the van and raked it with gunfire.• At five o'clock she returned to the theatre and crept up the stairs to the dressing-room.• The unemployment rate crept up to 5.7% in May.• Mooney glanced back as Al Bibeau crept up to him.creep into/over/around etc• Tiredness crept over her, making her eyelids droop.• The peace Sethe had come there to find crept into her.• He could not resist a faint smile creeping over his face.• The anguish crept into his voice.• Unable to let her out of my sight, I followed her upstairs and crept into the bedroom to be with her.• Later, under cover of darkness, they crept into the house, where Charles hid for the night in the attic.• It makes it impossible for anyone to creep around your house without making a noise.creep down/along/away etc• She went there, guilty at having crept away.• He was astounded to see a tear creep down her freckled cheek.• I crept away into the woods after an hour and his voice followed me there.• This relative of the dogwood family, whose trees are well known farther south, here creeps along just under the soil.• Dads creep along the baselines calling instructions as the dusk gathers in.• It was very easy to imagine eyes peering from the gloom, or strange beings creeping along the path behind them.• Slowly, step by step, she crept along the terrace until she stood there, looking in.• You creep along to an open doorway.creep in/into/over etc• Finally, I threw back the quilt, put the package on the pillow, and crept into bed.• She crept into Chrissy's room, shutting the door silently behind her.• He could not resist a faint smile creeping over his face.• Biases can creep in in extremely subtle ways, and researchers can, quite unconsciously, favour some groups and disfavour others.• Doubt crept in: Should he go to her house or not?• That has crept into the design.• I sit still for every creep in town.• Now the Derbyshire tradition has crept into Yorkshire, it seems it may be spreading.creep up/over/around etc• The first copper light of morning was creeping up Great Head bluff and spilling over the harbor.• But once she was alone with her knitting depression crept up on Leonora like an incoming tide.• It had been creeping up on me during the last couple of days.• Trying to stay calm, he crept up on the statue.• And all the while he had been creeping up on them, unseen.• It was a warm day when I saw a thick white fog gradually creeping up the sides of the hills.• At five o'clock she returned to the theatre and crept up the stairs to the dressing-room.• I crept around to the back of the house and watched as he carried her through the kitchen and into the garage.creep into/over etc• Finally, I threw back the quilt, put the package on the pillow, and crept into bed.• As he reviewed the figures a slight smirk crept over his face.• He could not resist a faint smile creeping over his face.• Later, under cover of darkness, they crept into the house, where Charles hid for the night in the attic.• But if you keep looking beyond the reflections you eventually notice the glow creeping into the sky.• A hint of duty had crept into their relationship.• Some reporters believe politicians are hypocrites, and that belief creeps into their reports.creep (up) to somebody• The state's original funding level was $ 3 million, creeping up to $ 5 million and then $ 6 million.• Mooney glanced back as Al Bibeau crept up to him.• A strange warmth crept up to his face.• She turned around and scampered back across the footpath to the gate, squeezed under and crept to the dish.• He crept to the door and opened it, blinking at the bright light.• Blowing out the candle, Tilly crept to the kitchen door and gingerly opened it.• It still gives me the creeps to think of it.creep2 noun [countable]  1  UNPLEASANT especially American English informal someone who you dislike extremely 极讨厌的人 Get lost, you little creep! 走开，你这个小讨厌鬼！2  FRIENDLY British English informal someone who tries to make you like them or do things for them by being insincerely nice to you 献媚者；奴颜婢膝的人 Don’t try and flatter her – she doesn’t approve of creeps. 别试图去奉承她，她不喜欢拍马屁的人。3  give somebody the creeps FRIGHTENEDif a person or place gives you the creeps, they make you feel nervous and a little frightened, especially because they are strange 〔人或地方〕使某人紧张[害怕] That house gives me the creeps. 那房子使我毛骨悚然。4  mission/cost/grade etc creep when something gradually starts to go beyond what it was intended to deal with or include 使命/成本/等级等的偏离 He denied that giving civilian tasks to the NATO forces was a case of mission creep. 他否认把非军事任务交托北约军队是偏离使命的做法。

Examples from the Corpus

creep• She's such a creep at work.• He didn't say that, did he? What a creep!• Will's the class creep, and the teachers don't notice.• Get out of here you little creep! You make me sick!• Little creeps, how heartened we were by our bold behavior.• As much as he gave her the creeps, there was also this secret fascination.• Those two were going to give her the creeps if she really had to take them all the way to Titan.• He seemed completely in his element, though all those monks flitting round the place rather gave me the creeps.• It gives me the creeps and I know it frightened the kiddies.Origin creep1 Old English creopan

creep1 verbcreep2 nounLDOCE OnlineChinese  

avoid especially to careful quiet, Corpus a in way, move to

creep

I

creep¹ /kriːp/ verb (past tense and past participle crept /krept/) [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]1. to move in a quiet, careful way, especially to avoid attracting attention
    creep into/over/around etc
    Johann would creep into the gallery to listen to the singers.
    He crept back up the stairs, trying to avoid the ones that creaked.
2. if something such as an insect, small animal, or car creeps, it moves slowly and quietly ⇨ crawl
    creep down/along/away etc
    a caterpillar creeping down my arm
3. to gradually enter something and change it
    creep in/into/over etc
    Funny how religion is creeping into the environmental debate.
4. if a plant creeps, it grows or climbs up or along a particular place
    creep up/over/around etc
    ivy creeping up the walls of the building
5. if mist, clouds etc creep, they gradually fill or cover a place
    creep into/over etc
    Fog was creeping into the valley.
6. British English informal to be insincerely nice to someone, especially someone in authority, in order to gain an advantage for yourself
    creep (up) to somebody
    I’m not the kind of person to creep to anybody.
7. somebody/something makes my flesh creep used to say that someone or something makes you feel strong dislike or fear:
    His glassy stare made my flesh creep.
     
creep up on somebody/something phrasal verb
  1. to surprise someone by walking up behind them silently:
    Don’t yell – let’s creep up on them and scare them.
  2. if a feeling or idea creeps up on you, it gradually increases:
    The feeling she had for Malcolm had crept up on her and taken her by surprise.
  3. to seem to come sooner than you expect:
    Somehow, the end of term had crept up on us.
     

THESAURUS

■ to walk quietly
   ▪ tiptoe to walk quietly and carefully on your toes because you do not want to make a noise: I tiptoed out trying not to wake the baby.
   ▪ creep to walk quietly and slowly because you do not want anyone to see or hear you: Stella crept up the stairs, hoping not to wake her parents.
   ▪ sneak to walk quietly so that no-one notices you, especially because you are doing something you should not do: They sneaked off without paying. | I quickly sneaked out to have a cigarette.
   ▪ pad to walk quietly without wearing shoes – also used about cats and dogs walking quietly: Michelle got up and padded barefoot down to the kitchen. | The cat padded in, asking for her food.

II

creep² noun [countable]
1. especially American English informal someone who you dislike extremely:
    Get lost, you little creep!
2. British English informal someone who tries to make you like them or do things for them by being insincerely nice to you:
    Don’t try and flatter her – she doesn’t approve of creeps.
3. give somebody the creeps if a person or place gives you the creeps, they make you feel nervous and a little frightened, especially because they are strange:
    That house gives me the creeps.
4. mission/cost/grade etc creep when something gradually starts to go beyond what it was intended to deal with or include:
    He denied that giving civilian tasks to the NATO forces was a case of mission creep.