crouch

C3R1O1U1C3H4
US, UK/ˈkɹaʊ̯t͡ʃ/US, UK[ˈkʰɹʷaʊ̯t͡ʃ]/ˈkɹɐʊ̯t͡ʃ/[ˈkʰɹʷɐʊ̯t͡ʃ]

verb

To bend down; to stoop low; to stand close to the ground with legs bent, like an animal when waiting for prey, or someone in fear.

“The cat waited in a crouch, hidden behind the hedge.”

Similar
huddlestoopbendbowsquatscrunchscrunch uphunker
OriginMiddle English crouchen ← Old Norse krókr ← Proto-Germanic *krōkaz →
Less commonScrabble 13
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok
Word of the Day · Jul 16, 2024

Meanings

crouch1

verbcrouch (third-person singular simple present crouches, present participle crouching, simple past and past participle crouched)

present singular third person crouches · participle present crouching · participle past crouched · past crouched

  1. intransitiveTo bend down; to stoop low; to stand close to the ground with legs bent, like an animal when waiting for prey, or someone in fear.

    We crouched behind the low wall until the squad of soldiers had passed by.

    1 more example

    Archer and Jacob jumped up from behind the mound where they had been crouching with the intention of springing upon their mother unexpectedly, and they all began to walk slowly home.

    1922, Virginia Woolf, chapter 2, in Jacob's Room

    Synonyms: huddle

  2. intransitiveTo bend servilely; to bow in reverence or humility.

    a crouching purpose

    1816, William Wordsworth, Thanksgiving Ode
    2 more examples

    kings ſhall crouch vnto our conquering ſwords, And hoſtes of Souldiers ſtand amazd at vs, When with their fearfull tongues they ſhall confeſſe Theſe are the men that al the world admires,

    c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii

    Must I stand and crouch Under your testy humour?

    1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]
nouncrouch (plural crouches)

plural crouches

  1. A bent or stooped position.

    The cat waited in a crouch, hidden behind the hedge.

crouch2

nouncrouch (plural crouches)

plural crouches

  1. obsoleteA cross.
verbcrouch (third-person singular simple present crouches, present participle crouching, simple past and past participle crouched)

present singular third person crouches · participle present crouching · participle past crouched · past crouched

  1. obsoleteTo sign with the cross; bless.

Crouch3

proper noun
  1. A surname.
  2. A ghost town in California.
  3. A city and town in Idaho.
  4. A short tidal river in Essex, England.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo bend down; to stoop low; to stand close to the ground with legs bent, like an animal when waiting for prey, or someone in fear.

Similar
huddle

More synonyms by meaning

verbbend one's back forward from the waist on down

Similar
stoopbendbow
Broader
bendflex

verbsit on one's heels

Similar
squatscrunchscrunch uphunkerhunker down
Broader
sitsit down
Also see
bendbowhunkerhunker downscrounge downscrunchscrunch upsquatstoop

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

crouch · verb, noun

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ger-“to turn, wind, weave”
  2. Proto-Indo-European*gerg-“wicker, bend”
  3. Proto-Germanic*krōkaz“hook”
  4. Old Norsekrókr“hook”
  5. Middle Englishcrouchen“to bend, crouch”
  6. Englishcrouch

From Middle English crouchen (“to bend, crouch”), variant of croken (“to bend, crook”), from crok (“crook, hook”), from Old Norse krókr (“hook”), from Proto-Germanic *krōkaz (“hook”), from Proto-Indo-European *gerg- (“wicker, bend”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to turn, wind, weave”). Compare Middle Dutch krōken (“to crook, curl”). More at crook.

More words from Middle English, Old Norse, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

crouch · noun, verb

  1. Old Englishcrūċ“cross”
  2. Middle Englishcrouche
  3. Englishcrouch

From Middle English crouche, cruche, from Old English crūċ (“cross”). Compare Old Saxon krūci (“cross”), Old High German krūzi (“cross”). Doublet of cross and crux.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ὀκλάζω, πτήσσω
  • ὀκλάζω (oklázō)to bend down
  • πτήσσω (ptḗssō)to bend down
Bulgarian навеждам се, раболепнича
  • навеждам се (naveždam se)to bend down
  • раболепнича (rabolepniča)to bend servilely
  • свивам (svivam)to bend, as in humility or fear
  • свивам се (svivam se)to bend, as in humility or fear
  • стоя приведен (stoja priveden)to bend, as in humility or fear
  • прекръствам (prekrăstvam)to sign with the cross
Catalan ajupir-se
  • ajupir-seto bend down
Chinese Mandarin 臥 /卧, 蹲
  • 臥 /卧 (wò)to bend down
  • 蹲 (dūn)to bend down
Esperanto kaŭriĝi
  • kaŭriĝito bend down
Estonian kükitama, küürutama
  • kükitamato bend down
  • küürutamato bend down
  • kummardamato bend servilely
  • kummardamato bend, as in humility or fear
  • kükkbent or stooped position
  • kummardusbent or stooped position
Finnish kyyristyä, kyykistyä
  • kyyristyäto bend down
  • kyykistyäto bend down
  • kumartuato bend servilely
  • kumartuato bend, as in humility or fear
  • kyykkybent or stooped position
  • kumarabent or stooped position
French se tapir, s'accroupir
  • se tapirto bend down
  • s'accroupirto bend down
  • se recroquevillerto bend down
  • s'inclinerto bend servilely
German kauern
  • kauernto bend down
Greek κάθομαι οκλαδόν, κουλουριάζω
  • κάθομαι οκλαδόν (káthomai okladón)to bend down
  • κουλουριάζω (koulouriázo)to bend, as in humility or fear
Hungarian guggol
  • guggolto bend down
Italian accovacciarsi
  • accovacciarsito bend down
Japanese しゃがむ, 蹲る
  • しゃがむ (shagamu)to bend down
  • 蹲る (uzukumaru)to bend down
Latin conquiniscō
  • conquiniscōto bend down
Māori whakapāhake, kōpipiri
  • whakapāhaketo bend down
  • kōpipirito bend down
  • pāhaketo bend down
  • ngunuto bend down
  • tūruruto bend down
  • whakamaokoto bend servilely
Persian دولا شدن
  • دولا شدن (dollâ šodan)to bend down
Polish podkurczać się, podkurczyć się
  • podkurczać sięto bend down
  • podkurczyć sięto bend down
Portuguese agachar, prostar-se
  • agacharto bend down
  • prostar-seto bend, as in humility or fear
  • agacharbent or stooped position
Russian приседа́ть, присе́сть
  • приседа́ть (prisedátʹ)to bend down
  • присе́сть (priséstʹ)to bend down
  • пресмыка́ться (presmykátʹsja)to bend servilely
  • раболе́пствовать (rabolépstvovatʹ)to bend servilely
  • извива́ться (izvivátʹsja)to bend, as in humility or fear
  • ви́ться (vítʹsja)to bend, as in humility or fear
Scottish Gaelic crom
  • cromto bend down
Spanish agacharse, encogerse
  • agacharseto bend down
  • encogerseto bend down
  • agazaparseto bend down
  • encogerseto bend, as in humility or fear
  • inclinarseto bend, as in humility or fear
  • inclinaciónbent or stooped position
  • persignarseto sign with the cross
Swedish huka
  • hukato bend down
Turkish çömelmek, pusmak
  • çömelmekto bend down
  • pusmakto bend down
Vietnamese né, núp
  • néto bend down
  • núpto bend down
  • cúito bend down

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with crouch

couchouchvouchslouchgrouchavouchoochoucheyowch
All rhymes →

Anagrams

Crochu
Cite this entry
APA

crouch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crouch

MLA

“crouch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crouch. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “crouch,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crouch.

Source: crouch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.