ooze

¹ American  

[ooz] / uz /

verb (used without object)

oozed, oozing

1. (of moisture, liquid, etc.) to flow, percolate, or exude slowly, as through holes or small openings.

2. to move or pass slowly or gradually, as if through a small opening or passage.

   The crowd oozed toward the entrance.

3. (of a substance) to exude moisture.

4. (of something abstract, as information or courage) to appear or disappear slowly or imperceptibly (often followed by out oraway ).

   His cockiness oozed away during my rebuttal speech.

5. to display some characteristic or quality.

   to ooze with piety.

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verb (used with object)

oozed, oozing

1. to make by oozing.

2. to exude (moisture, air, etc.) slowly.

3. to display or dispense freely and conspicuously.

   He can ooze charm when it serves his interest.

noun

1. the act of oozing.

2. something that oozes.

   Synonyms:

   sludge, muck, mud, mire, slime

3. an infusion of oak bark, sumac, etc., used in tanning.

ooze ² American  

[ooz] / uz /

noun

1. Geology. a calcareous or siliceous mud composed chiefly of the shells of one-celled organisms, covering parts of the ocean bottom.

2. soft mud, or slime.

3. a marsh or bog.

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ooze ¹ British  

/ uːz /

verb

1. (intr) to flow or leak out slowly, as through pores or very small holes

2. to exude or emit (moisture, gas, etc)

3. (tr) to overflow with

   to ooze charm

4. to disappear or escape gradually

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noun

1. a slow flowing or leaking

2. an infusion of vegetable matter, such as sumach or oak bark, used in tanning

ooze ² British  

/ uːz /

noun

1. a soft thin mud found at the bottom of lakes and rivers

2. a fine-grained calcareous or siliceous marine deposit consisting of the hard parts of planktonic organisms

3. muddy ground, esp of bogs

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Etymology

Origin of ooze¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English noun wose, woze, Old English wōs “juice, moisture”; verb derivative of the noun

Origin of ooze²

First recorded before 900; Middle English wose, woze, Old English wāse “mud, slime”

Example Sentences

The walnuts are soft and buttery and the sugar syrup oozes out, dripping down my chin.

From Literature

He took a mouthful and chewed, pulp oozing between his teeth.

From Literature

"My skin was hot, so inflamed and red. It began to crack and ooze, and the itch was bone deep. It consumed my whole body, and then it began to consume my whole life."

From BBC

I watched in awe as melted cheese oozed out from inside, forming a delicious crust along the edges of my cooked omelette.

From Salon

Infiniti oozed glamour in a lilac sleeveless Louis Vuitton dress with a fitted bodice and a cascade of ruffles tumbling from her hip to the floor, creating a long train.

From Barron's

Related Words

• bleed
• drain
• dribble
• exude
• leak
• percolate
• seep
• trickle