slide
Americanverb (used without object)
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slides,
present (3rd person singular)
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slid,
past participle, past
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slidden,
past participle
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sliding
present participle
-
to move along in continuous contact with a smooth or slippery surface.
to slide down a snow-covered hill.
- Synonyms:
- slither
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to slip or skid.
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to glide or pass smoothly.
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to slip easily, quietly, or unobtrusively on or as if on a track, channel, or guide rail (usually followed by in, out, away, etc.).
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to pass or fall gradually into a specified state, character, practice, etc.
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to decline or decrease.
Interest rates are beginning to slide.
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Baseball. (of a base runner) to cast oneself, usually feet first, forward along the ground in the direction of the base being approached, to present less of a target for a baseman attempting to make a tag.
verb (used with object)
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slides,
present (3rd person singular)
-
slid,
past participle, past
-
slidden,
past participle
-
sliding
present participle
-
to cause to slide, slip, or coast, as over a surface or with a smooth, gliding motion.
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to hand, pass along, or slip (something) easily or quietly (usually followed by in, into, etc.).
to slide a note into someone's hand.
noun
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slides
plural
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an act or instance of sliding.
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a smooth surface for sliding on, especially a type of chute in a playground.
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an object intended to slide.
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Geology.
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a landslide or the like.
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the mass of matter sliding down.
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a single transparency, object, or image for projection in a projector, as a lantern slide.
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Photography. a small positive color transparency mounted for projection on a screen or magnification through a viewer.
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a usually rectangular plate of glass on which objects are placed for microscopic examination.
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Furniture. a shelf sliding into the body of a piece when not in use.
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Music.
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an embellishment consisting of an upward or downward series of three or more tones, the last of which is the principal tone.
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a portamento.
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a U -shaped section of the tube of an instrument of the trumpet class, as the trombone, that can be pushed in or out to alter the length of the air column and change the pitch.
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a vehicle mounted on runners, for conveying loads, as of grain or wood, especially over a level surface.
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(of a machine or mechanism)
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a moving part working on a track, channel, or guide rails.
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the surface, track, channel, or guide rails on which the part moves.
-
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any of various chutes used in logging, mining, or materials handling.
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a flat or very low-heeled, backless shoe or slipper that can be slipped on and off the foot easily.
idioms
verb
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to move or cause to move smoothly along a surface in continual contact with it
doors that slide open
children sliding on the ice
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(intr) to lose grip or balance
he slid on his back
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(intr; usually foll by into, out of, away from, etc) to pass or move gradually and unobtrusively
she slid into the room
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to go (into a specified condition) by degrees, unnoticeably, etc
he slid into loose living
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to move (an object) unobtrusively or (of an object) to move in this way
he slid the gun into his pocket
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(intr) music to execute a portamento
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to allow to follow a natural course, esp one leading to deterioration
to let things slide
noun
-
the act or an instance of sliding
-
a smooth surface, as of ice or mud, for sliding on
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a construction incorporating an inclined smooth slope for sliding down in playgrounds, etc
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rowing a sliding seat in a boat or its runners
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a thin glass plate on which specimens are mounted for microscopic study
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Also called: transparency. a positive photograph on a transparent base, mounted in a cardboard or plastic frame or between glass plates, that can be viewed by means of a slide projector
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Also called: hair slide. US and Canadian name: barrette. an ornamental clip to hold hair in place
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machinery
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a sliding part or member
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the track, guide, or channel on or in which such a part slides
-
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music
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the sliding curved tube of a trombone that is moved in or out to allow the production of different harmonic series and a wider range of notes
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a portamento
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music
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a metal or glass tube placed over a finger held against the frets of a guitar to produce a portamento
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the style of guitar playing using a slide See also bottleneck
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geology
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the rapid downward movement of a large mass of earth, rocks, etc, caused by erosion, faulting, etc
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the mass of material involved in this descent See also landslide
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A mass movement of earth, rocks, snow, or ice down a slope. Slides can be caused by an accumulation of new matter or of moisture in the overlying material, or by erosion within or below the material. They are often triggered by an earthquake or other disturbance such as an explosion.
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The mass of material resulting from such a process.
Synonym Usage
Slide, glide, slip suggest movement over a smooth surface. Slide suggests a movement of one surface over another in contact with it: to slide downhill. Glide suggests a continuous, smooth, easy, and (usually) noiseless motion: a skater gliding over the ice. To slip is to slide in a sudden or accidental way: to slip on the ice and fall.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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slidesimple
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slidessimple
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have slidperfect
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have sliddenperfect
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has slidperfect
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has sliddenperfect
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am slidingprogressive
-
are slidingprogressive
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is slidingprogressive
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have been slidingperfect progressive
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has been slidingperfect progressive
Past
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slidsimple
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had slidperfect
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had sliddenperfect
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was slidingprogressive
-
were slidingprogressive
-
had been slidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slide
First recorded before 950; Middle English sliden (verb), Old English slīdan; cognate with Middle Low German slīden, Middle High German slīten; akin to sled
Explanation
To slide is to move down or across something in a smooth way. If you’re into that kind of thing, head to a playground and go down a slide. Just don’t push any toddlers out of the way. You can slide your bed across your room so it's near the window, or slide on the kitchen floor in your socks. You can also slide down a slide, a play structure that's designed for climbing up and sliding down. Another kind of slide is the small rectangular piece of glass that scientists slide under a microscope to examine specimens, or the photography slide you slide into a projector for viewing.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Sweet carefully transfers the delicate tissue onto a glass slide, where selected cellular structures are stained to make them easier to distinguish under a powerful microscope.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
Micron stock was extending its slide on Thursday but there are reasons for optimism.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
“Between the homes, a freeform pool curves through natural rock, hiding a grotto and a slide, with a shallow ledge for lounging and an elevated spa,” according to the listing.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
“I could slide it and probably see, but I feel like if it doesn’t go into the same shape or the same place, it wouldn’t seem right.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
The dogs fairly hum with energy as we slide gleefully down the final hills into the checkpoint just before we go out on the ice and it is the end of day thirteen.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
Tesla jumps after the EV maker unveils its new Roadster sports car, but CoreWeave slides as AI jitters carry on spooking the market.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
He slides the check to whoever is still sitting there.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
Also offered: a straw maze, pumpkin decorating, a petting zoo, giant rocking horses, slides and more.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Brent crude is down 2.1% to $101.70 a barrel, while the front-month WTI contract slides 2.2% to $98.11 a barrel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Then she slides the glowing purple Cog onto the back of Suma’s neck and turns to the others.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Front-month Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, fell 1.7% to $104.86 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate futures slid 1.5% to $92.32 a barrel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Rojas tweaked his back in Game 3 when his feet slid out from under him in the slick grass in shallow right field as he made an on-target throw to first base.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
Caterpillar shares slid almost 6%, Deere fell close to 4% and CNH Industrial dropped over 6%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Yet the Russell 2000 has now slid 9% below its record close set less than two months ago, ending at 2,793.20 on Wednesday and putting the small-cap index on the doorstep of correction territory.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
While two farmhouses slid into the Garner River, they debated.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
Lovely, slidden pass by Tielemans, and a lovely, calm, delayed finish by Iheancho.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 6, 2021
I am glad you like 'Roland,' which I did myself for half the first No.; but he has slidden out of my favour since that.
From Charles Lever, His Life in His Letters, Vol. I by Edmund Downey
All down the hill, descending to our camp, were fragments of columns and of decorated friezes of temples, that had evidently been rolled or had slidden down from their places.
From Byeways in Palestine by James Finn
“Like causes have produced like effects; and each island is little but the peak of a volcano, down whose shoulders lava and ash have slidden toward the sea.”
From The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 1 by Frederick Whymper
He did not appreciate how gradually the snow had slidden down.
From The Young Mountaineers Short Stories by Malcolm Fraser
Larry McDonald says the S&P 500’s record chasing is hiding lots of companies with sliding stocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The front end of the van could be seen sliding into the sinkhole, as water continued to gush out from the ground.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
A large glass sliding door opens to yet another deck, which is just a stone’s throw away from the ocean.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
Gold prices have faltered, falling back from record highs earlier this year and sliding further in recent months amid rising bond yields and rate-hike uncertainty.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Something settles inside me, just this tiny shift, like a piece of wood sliding into place, and it’s not weird being with these guys.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
