crawlers
|craw-lers|
🇺🇸
/ˈkrɔːlərz/
🇬🇧
/ˈkrɔːləz/
(crawler)
one that moves close along a surface; one that automatically searches
Etymology
'crawler' originates from English, specifically from the verb 'crawl' plus the agentive suffix '-er' (forming 'crawler').
'crawl' appeared in Middle English as 'crawlen' (or similar forms), and the agent noun 'crawler' developed by adding '-er'; the term has been used in English since Middle English to mean 'one who crawls'.
Initially, it meant 'one who crawls' (a person or animal). Over time, the sense broadened to include mechanical or programmatic agents (e.g., web crawlers) and scrolling text displays.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
creatures or persons that move along the ground by dragging their bodies or using their limbs (e.g., insects, reptiles)
The garden was full of crawlers after the rain.
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Noun 2
infants or very young children who move by crawling rather than walking
The daycare had several crawlers in the youngest group.
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Noun 3
automated programs or bots that systematically browse and index web pages (also called spiders or bots)
Search engines use crawlers to index new pages quickly.
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Noun 4
a horizontal strip of moving text on a television or display screen (news ticker)
The channel displayed breaking headlines on crawlers at the bottom of the screen.
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Last updated: 2025/12/17 11:23