Creep, crawl mean to move slowly along a surface in a prone or crouching position.
Creep is more often used of quadrupeds or of human beings who move on all fours and proceed slowly, stealthily, or silently and crawl of elongated animals with no legs (as snakes and some worms) or with many small legs (as centipedes) that seem to move by drawing the body along the ground or a surface, or of human beings who imitate such movement.
In extended use both words often imply intolerable slowness. Both often imply a slow movement of a person, especially into another’s favor or into a given status or position, but creep usually suggests stealthy and insinuating methods and crawl, procedure by abjectness, servility, cringing, or groveling.
Both also imply a sensation such as might be produced by lice, fleas, or other human or animal parasites, but creep suggests a shivering, nervous reaction, and crawl, an intense feeling of distress and discomfort.