creep up

Definitions

To advance or increase with stealth, unnoticed (literally or figuratively).

intransitive

Equivalents

Examples

“The lioness has to creep⟳ up behind her prey so as not to be noticed.”

“Then I was forced to rest⟳; and, sitting down on the ground, saw⟳ that the glimmering streak of light⟳ had faded, and that the awful blackness of the previous night was creeping up again.”

“Her exploration of emotion, too, is slightly muted. You have⟳ to stop⟳ and consult⟳ yourself. Pain — or joy or passion — creep⟳ up afterwards. These poems never hit you over the head.”

“These days cramped classrooms are all too common, with class sizes creeping up.”

CEFR level