sidle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
sidles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sidled,
past participle, past
-
sidling
present participle
-
to move sideways or obliquely.
-
to edge along furtively.
noun
verb
-
to move in a furtive or stealthy manner; edge along
-
to move along sideways
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sidlesimple
-
sidlessimple
-
have sidledperfect
-
has sidledperfect
-
am sidlingprogressive
-
are sidlingprogressive
-
is sidlingprogressive
-
have been sidlingperfect progressive
-
has been sidlingperfect progressive
Past
-
sidledsimple
-
had sidledperfect
-
was sidlingprogressive
-
were sidlingprogressive
-
had been sidlingperfect progressive
Future
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 )
Explanation
To sidle is to walk, but in a way that's casual, quiet, and a little sneaky. If you want to surprise someone, sidle up to them and say, "Boo!" There’s a TV show where a character’s coworker has a habit of walking so softly that he constantly startles her — she never notices him coming. So of course she buys wrestling shoes and tries to sidle back! Sidling is a type of walking that is super quiet. If you want to leave a party without people noticing, sidle out the door. Sidling is a good way to slip away.
Vocabulary lists containing sidle
"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"To Build a Fire," Vocabulary from the short story
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Grade 12, List 6
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
If you wanted to tell a city clerk from a blacksmith, especially when they were both in their best bib and tucker, all you needed to do was sidle up and sniff.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Do they sort of sidle up to you in the elevator and say, “Good job”? Or do they ignore you in the cafeteria and hope that this passes?
From Slate ● May 12, 2026
They’re more like trusty gags that sidle in wearing Groucho Marx glasses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2025
Apart from enjoying the spectacle, many will appreciate the chance to sidle up to India’s most influential business family at the bar.
From New York Times ● Mar. 1, 2024
Just then another person tried to sidle through.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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 ● Oct. 30, 2025
He sidles up, sniffs one of the vehicles, then jumps up and plants two giant paws up on the side of the buggy.
From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2024
The team is sighing with relief when Kendall, of WDC, sidles up to Kowalcyk, quietly telling her the man next to Paul asked whether he could go inside, too.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 2, 2023
The property enjoys a hillside perch in the Oaks, a celebrity-filled neighborhood on the west side of Los Feliz that sidles up against Hollywood Hills.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2021
Even Hamza is silent and swift as he sidles past.
From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell
Jack, my 15-year-old son, sidled up to me and spoke with uncharacteristic depth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
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 ● Sep. 14, 2025
A big, middle-aged Irishman sidled past my friend and muttered, “I thought it was bad in Belfast.”
From Slate ● Jan. 3, 2025
“Hey, handsome,” Blowen called out as he sidled up to his longtime friend that now has only four remaining teeth and spends much of his day napping.
From Seattle Times ● May 1, 2024
Maybeth sidled over between the two chairs Dicey and their grandmother sat in.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
Stupnikov was already on the move, sidling up to a group of drivers smoking beside idling vehicles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
There are dozens of courtrooms spread across Floors 12 and 14, and observers and petitioners will bustle in and out, sidling past flocks of press and squads of federal officers.
From Slate ● Oct. 10, 2025
McCarthy denied sidling up to Burchett and elbowing him in the kidney, just as he denied the "Trump's not eating" story.
From Salon ● Dec. 26, 2023
Ethan Garbers looks so young, so innocent, as if he should be sidling up to the Rose Bowl concession stand for cotton candy instead of throwing passes on the field.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2021
“You are the only one worth playing for. Those others? Bah!” and she went shuffling and sidling on down the gallery toward her room.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
