ooze

¹

[ooz]

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.

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

[ooz]

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.

ooze

¹

/ 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

noun

1. a slow flowing or leaking

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

ooze

²

/ 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

Word History and Origins

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of ooze¹

Old English wōs juice

Origin of ooze²

Old English wāse mud; related to Old French wāse, Old Norse veisa

Example Sentences

In 1988, with England taking on West Indies at Headingley, Bird had to deal with play being halted by water oozing from under the outfield.

From BBC

It was far from convincing - and in stark contrast to his previous statements where certainty oozed out during what has now descended into a critical mess for the club.

From BBC

Even budget dinners, the kind you’d normally rush through, take on the gravity of occasion when they emerge golden, oozing, crisp-edged.

From Salon

"He isn't hyper and too excitable or in your face, but he's one of those guys who oozes confidence without trying," Coldwell said.

From BBC

His last film was the willfully obtuse 2022 French Polynesian political thriller “Pacifiction,” which more often oozed colonial malaise through its painterly landscapes than any narrative.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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