slide

1 of 2

verb

ˈslīd 

slid ˈslid  ; sliding ˈslī-diŋ 

intransitive verb

1

a

: to move smoothly along a surface : slip

b

: to coast over snow or ice

c

of a base runner in baseball : to fall or dive feetfirst or headfirst when approaching a base

2

a

: to slip or fall by loss of footing

b

: to change position or become dislocated : shift

3

a

: to slither along the ground : crawl

b

: to stream along : flow

4

a

: to move or pass smoothly or easily

slid into the prepared speech

b

: to pass unnoticed or unremarked

let the criticism slide

5

a

: to pass unobtrusively : steal

b

: to pass by gradations especially downward

the economy slid from recession to depression

transitive verb

1

a

: to cause to glide or slip

b

: to traverse in a sliding manner

2

: to put unobtrusively or stealthily

slid the bill into his hand

slide

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: an act or instance of sliding

b(1)

: a musical grace of two or more small notes

(2)

: portamento

2

: a sliding part or mechanism: such as

a(1)

: a U-shaped section of tube in the trombone that is pushed out and in to produce the tones between the fundamental and its harmonics

(2)

: a short U-shaped section of tube in a brass instrument that is used to adjust the pitch of the instrument or of individual valves

b(1)

: a moving piece (such as the ram of a punch press) that is guided by a part along which it slides

(2)

: a guiding surface (such as a feeding mechanism) along which something slides

c

: sliding seat

d

: a step-in shoe or slipper

3

a

: the descent of a mass of earth, rock, or snow down a hill or mountainside

b

: a dislocation in which one rock mass in a mining lode has slid on another : fault

4

a(1)

: a slippery surface for coasting

(2)

: a chute with a slippery bed down which children slide in play

b

: a channel or track on which something is slid

c

: a sloping trough down which objects are carried by gravity

a log slide

5

a

: a flat piece of glass or plastic on which an object is mounted for microscopic examination

b(1)

: a photographic transparency on a small plate or film mounted for projection

(2)

: an electronic image presented as a part of a series

Kyle Patterson, the city's enterprise data strategist, flashed a series of PowerPoint slides with graphs of percentage growth since 1970.

—Maria L. La Ganga

6

: bottleneck sense 3

Synonyms

Verb

• lurk
• mooch
• mouse
• pussyfoot
• shirk
• skulk
• slink
• slip
• snake
• sneak
• steal

Examples of slide in a Sentence

Verb

The door slides open easily.

The firefighters slid down the pole to their trucks.

He slid the bottle across the table.

Slide your finger along the seam.

She slid the paper under the door.

He slid across the ice.

Cars were slipping and sliding all over the roads during the snowstorm.

Her purse slid out of her hands.

The strap of her dress kept sliding down.

She slid into the booth beside us.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Always lift your cast-iron cookware instead of sliding it to prevent damage. —Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 5 Nov. 2024

Keeping Boise from sliding down Portlandia’s chute to resembling a Walking Dead set was a comfortable talking point for Bundy, given his 2022 run for governor. —Matt Thompson, SPIN, 5 Nov. 2024

Noun

Khai was also featured sitting beside her mom on a rollercoaster before the third slide featured her hugging Mickey Mouse. —Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024

The slide created new rapids at the entry point, with sediment and mud continuing to shift, altering river conditions along a three-mile stretch upstream. —Tom Howarth follow, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English slīdan; akin to Middle High German slīten to slide

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing slide

• hair slide
• let (something) slide
• let things slide
• on the slide
• slide fastener
• slide rule
• slide show
• slide valve

Kids Definition

slide

1 of 2 verb

ˈslīd 

slid ˈslid  ; sliding ˈslīd-iŋ 

1

a

: to move or cause to move smoothly along a surface

b

: to coast on snow or ice

c

: to fall or dive feetfirst or headfirst when approaching a base in baseball

2

: to slip and fall by a loss of footing, balance, or support

3

a

: to move or pass smoothly and easily

b

: to move, pass, or put so as not to be noticed

4

: to become worse gradually

slide

2 of 2 noun

1

: the act or motion of sliding

2

: a loosened mass that slides

a rock slide

3

a

: a sloping surface down which a person or thing slides

b

: something (as a cover for an opening) that operates or adjusts by sliding

4

a

: a small transparent picture or image that can be projected on a screen

b

: a small usually rectangular glass or plastic plate used to hold an object to be examined under a microscope

Medical Definition

slide

noun

ˈslīd 

: a flat piece of glass or plastic on which an object is mounted for microscopic examination