let slip
Idioms-
Also, ; let slide . Miss an opportunity; waste time. For example, We forgot to buy a ticket and let our big chance slip by , or He let the whole day slide by . The first term dates from the mid-1500s, the variant from the late 1500s.
-
Also, let slip out . Reveal something, usually inadvertently, as in He let it slip out that he had applied for the vacant position . [Mid-1800s]
-
let slip through one's fingers . Fail to seize an opportunity, as in We could have won the trophy but we let it slip through our fingers . [First half of 1600s]
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.
All the while, SpaceX apparently let slip its obligations to NASA’s moon effort.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 15, 2026
Knowing that handing off the mantle to any of these soft-bellied siblings meant dooming his life’s work, Roy let slip one of the most devastating parental assessments ever captured on television.
From Salon • Dec. 9, 2025
The PGA Tour's newest winner also let slip a good chance when Justin Rose surged through to win in Memphis at the start of the play-offs.
From BBC • Aug. 25, 2025
Whereas Sajak occasionally let slip some cranky uncle-type comments, especially in his later years, Seacrest’s banter is still a bit on the stiff side.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2024
One afternoon Luma was driving Jeremiah home when he let slip that he was hungry.
From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
