slip
1to move, flow, pass, or go smoothly or easily; glide; slide: Water slips off a smooth surface.
to slide suddenly or involuntarily; to lose one's foothold, as on a smooth surface: She slipped on the icy ground.
to move, slide, or start gradually from a place or position: His hat had slipped over his eyes.
to slide out of or become disengaged from a fastening, the grasp, etc.: The soap slipped from my hand.
to pass without having been acted upon or used; be lost; get away: to let an opportunity slip.
to pass from the mind, memory, or consciousness.
to elapse or pass quickly or imperceptibly (often followed by away or by): The years slipped by.
to become involved or absorbed easily: to slip into a new way of life.
to move or go quietly, cautiously, or unobtrusively: to slip out of a room.
to put on or take off a garment easily or quickly:She slipped on the new sweater. He slipped off his shoes.
to make a mistake or error: As far as I know, you haven't slipped once.
to fall below a standard or accustomed level, or to decrease in quantity or quality; decline; deteriorate: His work slipped last year.
to be said or revealed inadvertently (usually followed by out): The words just slipped out.
to read, study, consider, etc., without attention: He slipped over the most important part.
Aeronautics. (of an aircraft when excessively banked) to slide sideways, toward the center of the curve described in turning.: Compare skid (def. 15).
to cause to move, pass, go, etc., with a smooth, easy, or sliding motion.
to put, place, pass, insert, or withdraw quickly or stealthily: to slip a letter into a person's hand.
to put on or take off (a garment) easily or quickly: He slipped the shirt over his head.
to let or make (something) slide out of a fastening, the hold, etc.: I slipped the lock, and the door creaked open.
to release from a leash, harness, etc., as a hound or a hawk.
to get away or free oneself from; escape (a pursuer, restraint, leash, etc.): The cow slipped its halter.
to untie or undo (a knot).
Nautical. to let go entirely, as an anchor cable or an anchor.
to pass from or escape (one's memory, attention, knowledge, etc.).
to dislocate; put out of joint or position: I slipped a disk in my back.
to shed or cast: The rattlesnake slipped its skin.
to ignore, pass over, or omit, as in speaking or writing.
to let pass unheeded; neglect or miss.
Boxing. to evade or avoid (a blow) by moving or turning the body quickly: He slipped a right and countered with a hard left.
(of animals) to bring forth (offspring) prematurely.
British. to detach (a railway car) from a moving train as it passes through a station.
an act or instance of slipping.
a sudden losing of one's foothold, as on slippery ground.
a mistake in judgment; blunder.
a mistake or oversight, as in speaking or writing, especially a small one due to carelessness: a minor slip in addition; a slip of the tongue; a slip of the pen.
an error in conduct; indiscretion.
something easily slipped on or off.
a decline or fall in quantity, quality, extent, etc., or from a standard or accustomed level: a slip in prices.
Clothing.
a woman's undergarment, sleeveless and usually having shoulder straps, extending from above the bust down to the hemline of the outer dress.
an underskirt, as a half-slip or petticoat.
a pillowcase.
an inclined plane, sloping to the water, on which vessels are built or repaired.
Nautical. the difference between the speed at which a screw propeller or paddle wheel would move if it were working against a solid and the actual speed at which it advances through the water.
a space between two wharves or in a dock for vessels to lie in.
Electricity. the difference between the synchronous and the operating speeds of a motor.
Machinery.
the difference between output speed and input or theoretical speed in certain fluid or electromagnetic devices, as couplings or motors.
(in pumps) the difference between the actual volume of water or other liquid delivered by a pump during one complete stroke and the theoretical volume as determined by calculation of the displacement.
unintended movement or play between mechanical parts or the like.
Cricket.
the position of a fielder who stands behind and to the offside of the wicketkeeper.
the fielder playing this position.
Geology.
the relative displacement of formerly adjacent points on opposite sides of a fault, measured along the fault plane.
a small fault.
Also called glide .Metallurgy. plastic deformation of one part of a metallic crystal relative to the other part due to shearing action.
slip away,
to depart quietly or unobtrusively; steal off.
to recede; slowly vanish: All those facts I had memorized just slipped away.
slip up, to make an error; fail: I slipped up and put the letter in the wrong envelope.
Idioms about slip
give someone the slip, to elude a pursuer; escape: The murderer gave the police the slip.
let slip, to reveal unintentionally: to let slip the truth.
slip a cog. cog1 (def. 6).
slip between the cracks. crack (def. 53).
slip someone's mind, to be forgotten: I was supposed to phone, but it slipped my mind.
slip something over on, to deceive; defraud; trick.: Also slip one over on.
Origin of slip
1synonym study For slip
Other words for slip
Other words from slip
- slipless, adjective
- slip·ping·ly, adverb
Words Nearby slip
Other definitions for slip (2 of 4)
a small paper form on which information is noted: a withdrawal slip.
a piece suitable for propagation cut from a plant; scion or cutting.
any long, narrow piece or strip, as of wood, paper, or land.
a young person, especially one of slender form: a mere slip of a girl.
a long seat or narrow pew in a church.
Bookbinding. one of the ends of a band, extending at the sides of a book after sewing.
to take slips or cuttings from (a plant).
to take (a part), as a slip from a plant.
Origin of slip
2Other definitions for slip (3 of 4)
Ceramics. a clay solution of creamy consistency for coating or decorating biscuit.
a glass-bearing liquid fired onto steel as a cladding, as in making enamelware.
Origin of slip
3Other definitions for slip (4 of 4)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use slip in a sentence
The man stuffs the slip in his wallet, where it’s soon forgotten.
Easy interventions like revamping forms help people show up to court | Sujata Gupta | October 8, 2020 | Science NewsYour stay comes with a slip on Lake Glenville, where you can launch the property’s complimentary canoe, kayak, and SUPs.
When it was delayed until late August, military officials did not cite a reason for the schedule slip.
Delta IV Heavy rocket delayed again, raising concerns of aging infrastructure | Eric Berger | September 30, 2020 | Ars TechnicaI’m using an iPhone 11 Pro, but based on the rigidity of the tension on the swivel, I have no doubt that people with larger phones—like the 11 Pro Max—won’t see any slips either.
There are other drawbacks to this as well—doing burpees and other similar movements on a hard surface can hurt you, not to mention that accumulated sweat on wooden or ceramic floors pose a serious slip hazard.
Working out at home? Here’s how to keep your house from smelling like a gym. | Harry Guinness | September 3, 2020 | Popular-Science
Block 3F is slated for release in 2019, but who knows how much that will slip?
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019 | Dave Majumdar | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTLess than a minute into her big break, Slate let slip a highly audible F-bomb instead of the scripted “freaking.”
The Curious Little Shell That Restarted Jenny Slate’s Career | Luke Hopping | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTI know that Detroit is losing market share in auto sales, but how did they let the Motown sound slip out of their hands?
Both Time and CNN reinstated Zakaria after determining the slip-up was “an isolated incident.”
Can Fareed Zakaria Survive A Plagiarism Firestorm? | Lloyd Grove | November 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTo his fellow survivors and to the audience, this delusion indicates another slip on a downward spiral.
The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical Hero | Regina Lizik | October 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTQ was a Queen, who wore a silk slip; R was a Robber, and wanted a whip.
So my mother begged me to slip into the Rooms, with what was left, and try to get something back.
Rosemary in Search of a Father | C. N. WilliamsonWhat the economist does is to slip out of the difficulty altogether by begging the whole question.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen LeacockOnly then did I own that by hook or by crook—and mostly by crook, I was forced to suspect—they had purposely given me the slip.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairIt's easy for a prisoner t' slip a note to a friend that happens t' be mountin' guard.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
British Dictionary definitions for slip (1 of 3)
/ (slɪp) /
to move or cause to move smoothly and easily
(tr) to place, insert, or convey quickly or stealthily
(tr) to put on or take off easily or quickly: to slip on a sweater
(intr) to lose balance and slide unexpectedly: he slipped on the ice
to let loose or be let loose
to be released from (something); escape
(tr) to let go (mooring or anchor lines) over the side
(when intr, often foll by from or out of) to pass out of (the mind or memory)
(tr) to overlook, neglect, or miss: to slip an opportunity
(intr) to move or pass swiftly or unperceived: to slip quietly out of the room
(intr sometimes foll by up) to make a mistake
Also: sideslip to cause (an aircraft) to slide sideways or (of an aircraft) to slide sideways
(intr) to decline in health, mental ability, etc
(intr) (of an intervertebral disc) to become displaced from the normal position
(tr) to dislocate (a bone)
(of animals) to give birth to (offspring) prematurely
(tr) to pass (a stitch) from one needle to another without knitting it
(tr) to operate (the clutch of a motor vehicle) so that it partially disengages
(intr) (of the clutch of a motor vehicle) to fail to engage, esp as a result of wear
let slip
to allow to escape
to say unintentionally
slip one over on slang to hoodwink or trick
the act or an instance of slipping
a mistake or oversight: a slip of the pen
a moral lapse or failing
a woman's sleeveless undergarment, worn as a lining for and to give support to a dress
US and Canadian a narrow space between two piers in which vessels may dock
See slipway
a kind of dog lead that allows for the quick release of the dog
a small block of hard steel of known thickness used for measurement, usually forming one of a set
the ratio between output speed and input speed of a transmission device when subtracted from unity, esp of a drive belt or clutch that is not transmitting full power
cricket
the position of the fielder who stands a little way behind and to the offside of the wicketkeeper
the fielder himself
the relative movement of rocks along a fault plane
a landslide, esp one blocking a road or railway line
metallurgy crystallog the deformation of a metallic crystal caused when one part glides over another part along a plane
the deviation of a propeller from its helical path through a fluid, expressed as the difference between its actual forward motion and its theoretical forward motion in one revolution
another name for sideslip (def. 1)
give someone the slip to elude or escape from someone
Origin of slip
1- See also slip up
Derived forms of slip
- slipless, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for slip (2 of 3)
/ (slɪp) /
a narrow piece; strip
a small piece of paper: a receipt slip
a part of a plant that, when detached from the parent, will grow into a new plant; cutting; scion
a young slender person: a slip of a child
dialect a young pig
printing
a long galley
a less common name for a galley proof
mainly US a pew or similar long narrow seat
a small piece of abrasive material of tapering section used in honing
(tr) to detach (portions of stem, etc) from (a plant) for propagation
Origin of slip
2British Dictionary definitions for slip (3 of 3)
/ (slɪp) /
clay mixed with water to a creamy consistency, used for decorating or patching a ceramic piece
Origin of slip
3Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with slip
In addition to the idioms beginning with slip
- slip a cog
- slip of the lip
- slip one's mind
- slip out
- slip something over on
- slip through one's fingers
- slip up
also see:
- give the slip
- let slip
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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