sidle

American  

[sahyd-l] / ˈsaɪd l /

verb (used without object)

sidled, sidling

1. to move sideways or obliquely.

2. to edge along furtively.

---

noun

1. a sidling movement.

sidle British  

/ ˈsaɪdəl /

verb

1. to move in a furtive or stealthy manner; edge along

2. to move along sideways

---

noun

1. a sideways movement

Other Word Forms

• sidler noun
• sidlingly adverb
• unsidling adjective

Etymology

Origin of sidle

First recorded in 1690–1700; back formation from sideling (earlier spelling sidling misconstrued as present participle of a verb ending in -le )

Example Sentences

Now it has transformed itself into tumbleweed proper, sidling and bouncing wherever the wind chooses.

From The Wall Street Journal

That’s when one satellite sidles up to another and either fixes it or kills it, depending on whose satellite it is and what day of the week it is.

From MarketWatch

As if on cue, Rudy, my aged Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, gingerly sidled up to him.

From The Wall Street Journal

Kingsley went back inside and sidled up to the piano where Mercury was practising - it was a new song with the working title Freddie's Thing.

From BBC

“Lurker” has a casual malevolence, Russell sidling up to his targets before he attacks.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• saunter