make someone's skin crawl

verb

To frighten or disgust.

“The sound of fingernails on a chalkboard just makes my skin crawl.”

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Meanings

verbmake someone's skin crawl (third-person singular simple present makes someone's skin crawl, present participle making someone's skin crawl, simple past and past participle made someone's skin crawl)

present singular third person makes someone's skin crawl · participle present making someone's skin crawl · participle past made someone's skin crawl · past made someone's skin crawl

  1. idiomaticTo frighten or disgust.

    The sound of fingernails on a chalkboard just makes my skin crawl.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
make someone's skin creep

Translations

Hungarian borsódzik tőle a háta
  • borsódzik tőle a hátato disturb, bother, frighten, disgust
Russian мурашки по коже бегут
  • мурашки по коже бегутto disturb, bother, frighten, disgust
Cite this entry
APA

make someone's skin crawl. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20someone's%20skin%20crawl

MLA

“make someone's skin crawl.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20someone's%20skin%20crawl. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “make someone's skin crawl,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20someone's%20skin%20crawl.

Source: make someone's skin crawl on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.