crouched; crouching; crouches
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
Aldous Huxley2
: to bend or bow servilely : cringe
3
: to stand at a low height
Cottages crouched along the river.
: 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
More doctors and nurses converge as if they’d been crouched, hiding alongside the arms the whole time.
—Erica Stern
june 9, Literary Hub, 9 June 2025
Those without umbrellas crouched under trees and retreated to awnings of businesses and apartment buildings.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 7 June 2025
By holding the right shoulder button (normally used for drifting around curves) during a straight away, the player character will crouch into their karts and, upon release, can jump straight up into the air, or flip in whatever direction the joystick is held.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 June 2025
When Garza went inside the store and took at least one lighter from the counter, the clerk came outside armed with a handgun to confront Garza, who crouched by the puddle of kerosene and either threatened to light it or attempted to light it, Hodges said.
—Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crouch
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Erica Stern
june 9, Literary Hub, 9 June 2025
Those without umbrellas crouched under trees and retreated to awnings of businesses and apartment buildings.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 7 June 2025
By holding the right shoulder button (normally used for drifting around curves) during a straight away, the player character will crouch into their karts and, upon release, can jump straight up into the air, or flip in whatever direction the joystick is held.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 June 2025
When Garza went inside the store and took at least one lighter from the counter, the clerk came outside armed with a handgun to confront Garza, who crouched by the puddle of kerosene and either threatened to light it or attempted to light it, Hodges said.
—Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crouch
Cite this Entry
“Crouch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crouch. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share