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crawl

[/krɔːl/]
verb/noun
rastejar, gatinhar
1. (verb) to move slowly on hands and knees or by dragging the body along the ground
The baby crawled across the floor.
O bebê rastejou pelo chão.
2. (verb) to move slowly or laboriously
Traffic crawled during rush hour.
O trânsito andava a passo de tartaruga durante a hora de pico.
3. (verb) to be infested or swarming with something
The kitchen was crawling with ants.
A cozinha estava infestada de formigas.
4. (noun) a swimming stroke performed face down with alternating arm movements
He swims the crawl faster than any other stroke.
Ele nada o crawl mais rápido do que qualquer outro estilo.
5. (noun) a slow movement or pace
The car moved at a crawl in the heavy traffic.
O carro se movia a um ritmo lento no trânsito intenso.
Synonyms
creepdraginchgrovel
Antonyms
sprintrushracehurry

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
rastejar, gatinhar
commonly used for baby movement; 'rastejar' also used for reptiles
Rio de Janeiro
rastejar
preferred term for slow movement and crawling motion
São Paulo
rastejar, arrastar-se
'arrastar-se' emphasizes dragging motion
Portugal
rastejar, gatinhar
same as Brazilian but 'gatinhar' less common for traffic

Related Idioms & Phrases

crawl out of one's skin - to be extremely nervous or anxious
make someone's skin crawl - to create a feeling of disgust or fear
crawl before you walk - to start with basics before advancing
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