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.
ReviewedEvidence1 sourceSectionEnglish Usage
Quick answer
Use informal “crawling with” when a place is completely covered with or full of a particular type of person or thing.
Key details
Confusion Familyusage-construction
Rule Familyadjective or complement construction
Termscrawling with
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.
Ablaze 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.
Abound In or 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.
Absorbed In: 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.
Acceptable To: 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.
Accessible To: 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.
Acclaimed For: 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.
