creep up on
phrasal verb
crept up on; creeping up on; creeps up on
informal
: to slowly and quietly move closer to (someone) without being noticed
We tried to creep up on them but they heard our footsteps.
—often used figurativelyOld age creeps up on us.
The deadline had crept up on them.
Examples of creep up on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
If the day crept up on you, here are 15 last minute card ideas for dad as well as 40 Father’s Day gift ideas for 2024.
—
Jennifer Borresen, USA TODAY, 15 June 2024
Like a good barbecue sauce, this play creeps up on your taste buds until its has taken over all your senses.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2024
Meanwhile, Emma Stone, who had up until this point been the Best Actress front-runner for her singing, dancing, emoting performance in La La Land, is starting to feel the cold hand of the La La Land backlash creeping up on her.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 11 Jan. 2024
Three years seems like a long time, but time sort of creeps up on you.
—Jim Radcliffe, Orange County Register, 6 June 2024
Some important dates are already creeping up on them.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 14 May 2024
Usage data for these water coolers suggests attendance is slowly creeping up on Fridays and Mondays, though rates of use are still well below pre-pandemic levels.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 24 Feb. 2024
The 24-inch iMac (creeping up on its second birthday) may not get an M2 version at all, and there's still conflicting evidence about whether Apple is planning a larger Apple Silicon iMac to replace the 27-inch Intel model or the iMac Pro.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 6 Feb. 2023
Typically, the values will creep up on repeat testing until a tumor eventually appears on a scan.
—Mara Buchbinder, STAT, 29 Oct. 2023
Jennifer Borresen, USA TODAY, 15 June 2024
Like a good barbecue sauce, this play creeps up on your taste buds until its has taken over all your senses.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2024
Meanwhile, Emma Stone, who had up until this point been the Best Actress front-runner for her singing, dancing, emoting performance in La La Land, is starting to feel the cold hand of the La La Land backlash creeping up on her.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 11 Jan. 2024
Three years seems like a long time, but time sort of creeps up on you.
—Jim Radcliffe, Orange County Register, 6 June 2024
Some important dates are already creeping up on them.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 14 May 2024
Usage data for these water coolers suggests attendance is slowly creeping up on Fridays and Mondays, though rates of use are still well below pre-pandemic levels.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 24 Feb. 2024
The 24-inch iMac (creeping up on its second birthday) may not get an M2 version at all, and there's still conflicting evidence about whether Apple is planning a larger Apple Silicon iMac to replace the 27-inch Intel model or the iMac Pro.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 6 Feb. 2023
Typically, the values will creep up on repeat testing until a tumor eventually appears on a scan.
—Mara Buchbinder, STAT, 29 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'creep up on.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Creep up on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/creep%20up%20on. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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