crouched; crouching; crouches

intransitive verb

1
a
: to lower the body stance especially by bending the legs
The sprinter crouched and was ready to go.
b
: to lie close to the ground with the legs bent
… a pair of cats, crouching on the brink of a fight.Aldous Huxley
2
: to bend or bow servilely : cringe
3
: to stand at a low height
Cottages crouched along the river.

transitive verb

: to bow especially in humility or fear : bend
The dog crouched its head.
crouch noun

Examples of crouch in a Sentence

She crouched down, trying to get a closer look at the spider. The lion crouched in the tall grass, waiting to attack the gazelle.
Recent Examples on the Web The cutaway shots during the ceremony were in fact filmed before the broadcast, between 3:20 and 3:30 p.m. (as caught by a spy in the Dolby’s balcony, THR’s own Chris Gardner, who also confirms that those were not Messi’s actual paws applauding, but props held by a handler crouching below). Benjamin Svetkey, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 Her son and son-in-law, an emergency-room doctor, crouched at his side. Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 On a recent afternoon in an RHA clinic, a midwife crouched by a patient in the waiting room with a Haitian Creole translator at her side. Whitney Eulich, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Mar. 2024 In the snaps, Sterling crouched down beside her baby brother, who looked down as his sister approached him. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024 Many fled the scene while others crouched down to take cover. Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 15 Feb. 2024 Howard, the Capuchin assistant director, crouched down to chat with Taylor then brought him a cup of water. Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 19 Jan. 2024 After snapping a selfie with a fan, Kelce arrives and greets the couple, dapping up MGK and crouching to hug Fox (who is over a foot shorter than the football player). Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2024 On a recent winter afternoon, two women crouched to look at the miniatures, which are on display in the Waterloo Chamber. Megan Specia, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crouch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of crouch was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near crouch

Cite this Entry

“Crouch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crouch. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

crouch

verb
: to stoop or bend low with the arms and legs close to the body
crouch noun

More from Merriam-Webster on crouch

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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