creep up on/behind sb
— phrasal verb with creep /kriːp/ verb [I usually + adv/prep] (crept, crept)Definition
› to surprise someone by moving closer to them without them seeing or hearing you: Don't creep up on me like that! We crept up behind her and yelled "Boo!"Surprising and shockingMaking people sad, shocked and upset
(Definition of creep up on/behind sb from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
Browse the Dictionary
Browse the Thesaurus
SMART Thesaurus
Synonyms and related words:
- a blinding flash idiom
- a bolt from/out of the blue idiom
- amaze verb
- amazing adjective
- astonish verb
- catch sb with their pants/trousers down idiom
- confound verb
- dynamite noun
- earth-shattering adjective
- expectation noun
- reality check noun
- shock tactics noun
- shocking adjective (SURPRISING)
- spring sth on sb phrasal verb
- staggering adjective
- turn-up for the book(s) idiom
- turn-up noun (EVENT)
- unbelievable adjective (SURPRISING)
- walk in on sb phrasal verb
- world-shattering adjective
Topic:
Surprising and shocking
Our dictionaries
Word of the Day
a cloud on the horizon
something which threatens to cause problems or unhappiness in the future
Blog
Read our blog about how the English language behaves.
New Words
Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.
