Is it creeped or crept?
If you’re trying to say that you’re creeped out by something, use creeped. Otherwise, both creeped and crept are accepted past tenses of the verb creep [i.e., a verb that describes when we “move slowly and carefully in order to avoid being heard or noticed.”]
I crept down the stairs.
She has crept into my heart.
He creeped me out.
They have creeped around all night.
Verb forms of creep
| present | past | future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| simple | I creep | I crept (or creeped) | I will creep |
| continuous | I am creeping | I was creeping | I will be creeping |
| perfect | I have crept (or creeped) | I had crept (or creeped) | I will have crept (or creeped) |
| perfect continuous | I have been creeping | I had been creeping | I will have been creeping |
Irregular verbs like ‘creep’
| Base Verb | Past Tense | Past Participle |
| dream | dreamed/dreamt | dreamed/dreamt |
| burn | burned/burnt | burned/burnt |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| leap | leapt/leaped | leapt/leaped |
Examples of crept and creeped, in sentences
| Crept sentence examples | Creeped sentence examples |
|---|---|
| He crept quietly into the room. | That story really creeped me out. |
| The cat crept along the fence. | She creeped on his social media profile. |
| They crept up the stairs so no one would hear. | He creeped around the house at night. |
| He crept into the room, hoping not to be seen. | The spider creeped across the floor and startled everyone. |
“creep’s” past tense: associate crept with stealthy movement; use creeped only when describing the feeling of being creeped out.
Creep [synonyms & word forms]
- glide
- inch
- lurk
- slink
- slither
- snake
- sneak
- tiptoe
- wriggle
The origin of creep
| Of Germanic Origin |
| Old English creopan “to move the body near or along the ground as a reptile or insect does” (class II strong verb; past tense creap, past participle cropen), from Proto-Germanic *kreupanan. |
Learn more about grammar
| Commonly misused words | UK English vs. US English |
|---|---|
| former vs. latter | burned or burnt? |
| bear vs. bare | color or colour? |
| breathe vs. breath | favorite vs. favourite |
| compliment vs. complement | smelled or smelt? |
| affect vs. effect | gray or grey? |
| elude vs. allude | favor vs. favour |
| it’s or its | analyze or analyse? |
Worksheet
According to the blog post, which past tense form of ‘creep’ is generally preferred for describing stealthy movement?
Which form of ‘creep’ is exclusively used when describing the feeling of being scared or unsettled by something?
Which sentence correctly uses the past participle of ‘creep’ for movement?
Based on the examples in the post, in the sentence “I crept up the stairs, trying not to wake my parents,” what is ‘crept’ describing?
Although ‘creeped’ is accepted, the historical past tense and preferred form ‘crept’ suggests that ‘creep’ can be considered what type of verb?
The cat silently towards the mouse.
Hearing the strange noise, she started nervously down the hallway.
His strange behavior really me out.
Time just seems to along on these hot summer days.
The spy had past the guards without being noticed.
FAQs
What’s the past tense of creep?
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When do I use creeped?
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When do I use crept?
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Is creeped correct for movement?
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Is creep a regular verb?
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Yash, D. "What’s the Past Tense of Creep?." Grammarflex, Jun 25, 2025, https://www.grammarflex.com/whats-the-past-tense-for-creep/.
Sources
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Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of creep.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/creep. Accessed 26 March, 2024.
