Crept is the past tense of creep, which means to move slowly, quietly, and carefully, often trying not to be noticed. When you crept down the stairs on Christmas morning, you moved with soft, deliberate steps so your parents wouldn't hear you. When a cat crept toward a bird, it moved in a low, silent prowl.

The word captures a specific quality of movement: slow, stealthy, and cautious. You don't creep when you're in a hurry or want attention. You creep when you're trying to avoid making noise or drawing attention to yourself.

Things besides people can creep too. Fog crept across the field means it moved gradually and spread slowly. Doubt crept into her mind suggests a feeling arrived quietly and gradually, almost without being noticed at first. Ivy crept up the wall describes how the plant grew slowly across the surface over time.

The word often appears in spooky stories because that slow, quiet movement creates suspense: The mysterious figure crept through the shadows. But creeping isn't always sinister. Sometimes you just need to move quietly, like when you crept past your sleeping baby brother's room.