the creeps

plural noun

informal

: an uncomfortable feeling of nervousness or fear

I get the creeps every time he walks by.

I hate snakes. They give me the creeps.

Examples of the creeps in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Here's something that'll give you the creeps ― bed bugs are on the rise in Milwaukee. —

Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 11 June 2024 The rice itself looked tasty enough—fluffy, well formed—but its oddly fleshy hue gave me the creeps. —

Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2024 Give your guests the creeps by riddling your wreath with spiders and cobwebs or centering it with a skull. —

Sophie Flaxman, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Oct. 2023 At the 115-year-old Niles Hotel — where ancient bullet holes pock the tin ceiling by the downstairs saloon — getting the creeps is part of the appeal. —

Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2023 The subject of their dispute: Edgar Allan Poe, a horror writer whose short stories were giving Americans the creeps from coast to coast. —

Mary Ann Gwinn, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2022 Basements give her the creeps; plus, a property manager told her the floor had been torn up. —

jsonline.com, 16 Nov. 2022 Give neighbors the creeps with this feline trio, which stay put with heavy-duty metal stakes. —

Larry Stansbury, Good Housekeeping, 28 Sep. 2022 Despite giving some individuals the creeps, arachnids are pest control professionals. —

Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Apr. 2022