# verb. - move slowly and carefully in order to avoid being heard or noticed. * he crept downstairs, hardly making any noise - (of a plant) grow along the ground or other surface by means of extending stems or branches. * thorny roses crept up the dull gray walls - (of a plastic solid) undergo gradual deformation under stress.
# noun. - slow movement, especially at a steady but almost imperceptible pace. * an attempt to prevent this slow creep of costs