creep up on

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Definitions of creep up on words

phrasal verb creep up on If you creep up on someone, you move slowly closer to them without being seen by them. 3
phrasal verb creep up on If a feeling or state creeps up on you, you hardly notice that it is beginning to affect you or happen to you. 3
verb without object creep up on to move slowly with the body close to the ground, as a reptile or an insect, or a person on hands and knees. 1
verb without object creep up on to approach slowly, imperceptibly, or stealthily (often followed by up): We crept up and peeked over the wall. 1
verb without object creep up on to move or advance slowly or gradually: The automobile crept up the hill. Time just seems to creep along on these hot summer days. 1
verb without object creep up on 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. 1

before 900

One of the 4% oldest English words

before 900; Middle English crepen, Old English crēopan; cognate with Dutch kruipen, Old Norse krjūpa

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 94% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer