Crawling With: Standard Pattern
Crawling With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Use informal “crawling with” when a place is completely covered with or full of a particular type of person or thing.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| an informal description says a place is full of people/things | be crawling with + noun | Use the documented informal pattern. |
| literal movement is meant | crawl / crawling | Use the ordinary movement sense instead. |
| formal factual description is preferable | full of / crowded with / heavily populated by | Choose a less figurative alternative if tone requires it. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you informally saying that a place is completely full of a type of person or thing?
If yes: Use “crawling with.”
If no: Use the literal movement sense or a more neutral quantity description instead.
Caveat: The reviewed “be crawling with” sense is informal and distinct from the literal movement sense of “crawl.”
Examples
The garden was crawling with ants.
The informal pattern emphasizes that the place is full of them.
By noon, the market was crawling with visitors.
The construction describes a place as full of people.
The report says the area was crowded with visitors.
A neutral alternative may fit formal reporting better.
Further guidance
Construction
Use informal “crawling with” when a place is completely covered with or full of a particular type of person or thing.
Style Boundary
Cambridge labels this “be crawling with something” sense informal. It is separate from the ordinary movement sense of “crawl.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- crawl — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Cambridge dictionary entry directly documenting be crawling with something for a place completely covered with or full of a particular type of thing.