ooze

1 of 3

noun (1)

1
: a soft deposit (as of mud, slime, or shells) on the bottom of a body of water
The turtle buried itself in the ooze.
2
: a piece of soft wet plastic ground : a marsh or bog that results from the flow of a spring, stream, or brooklet

ooze

2 of 3

verb

oozed; oozing

intransitive verb

1
: to pass or flow slowly through or as if through small openings or interstices
2
: to move slowly or imperceptibly
the crowd began to ooze forwardBruce Marshall
3
a
: to exude moisture
b
: to exude something often in a faintly repellent manner
ooze with sympathy

transitive verb

1
: to emit slowly
2
: exude sense 2
ooze confidence

ooze

3 of 3

noun (2)

1
: a decoction of vegetable material used for tanning leather
2
: the act of oozing
3
: something that oozes

Examples of ooze in a Sentence

Noun (1) our car tires sank deep in the ooze Verb Sap oozed from the tree. Juice oozed out of the plum. The cut on her finger was oozing with blood. The tree was oozing sap. The cut on her finger was oozing blood.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
In the world of Eraserhead, the first feature of David Lynch, everything is emphatically not fine: Strange industrial noises fill the soundtrack, all efforts at human connection go awry, and worst of all, our hero has fathered a disgusting inhuman creature the wriggles and oozes all over its crib. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025 Each monster type seems to have one, such as an ooze that’s Godzilla-sized where players can fight around it, on top of it, and inside it. Rob Wieland, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Verb
Williams will need to be a more consistent player at the next level, but his combination of size, strength and athleticism oozes sky-high potential. Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025 The track, which was released Jan. 3, oozes with nostalgic mid-2000s rap vibes gaining popularity with co-signs popular music figures such as Meek Mill, Lil Yachty and T-Pain. Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for ooze 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English wose, from Old English wāse mire; akin to Old Norse veisa stagnant water

Verb

Middle English wosen, from wose sap

Noun (2)

Middle English wose sap, juice, from Old English wōs; akin to Old High German waso damp

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ooze was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near ooze

Cite this Entry

“Ooze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ooze. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

ooze

1 of 3 noun
: soft mud or slime (as on the bottom of a lake)

ooze

2 of 3 verb
oozed; oozing
1
: to flow or leak slowly
sap oozed from the tree
2
: emit sense 1a
a manner that oozed confidence

ooze

3 of 3 noun
: something that oozes

More from Merriam-Webster on ooze

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