slipstream
Americannoun
-
Aeronautics. the airstream pushed back by a revolving aircraft propeller.
-
the airstream generating reduced air pressure and forward suction directly behind a rapidly moving vehicle.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
slipstreamsimple
-
slipstreamssimple
-
have slipstreamedperfect
-
has slipstreamedperfect
-
am slipstreamingprogressive
-
are slipstreamingprogressive
-
is slipstreamingprogressive
-
have been slipstreamingperfect progressive
-
has been slipstreamingperfect progressive
Past
-
slipstreamedsimple
-
had slipstreamedperfect
-
was slipstreamingprogressive
-
were slipstreamingprogressive
-
had been slipstreamingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slipstream
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:
We saw that in Callais and in the slipstream of what has happened since Callais.
From Slate ● Jun. 1, 2026
He found the optimal line through the final bend and positioned himself directly in Malukas’s slipstream.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
Two in a 3-1 win over Falkirk, one in a 2-1 win over Hibs and now the critical two in the 3-1 win over Rangers that puts them in Hearts' slipstream.
From BBC ● May 10, 2026
Following in the slipstream of the superstars of K-pop, K-beauty has become a massive global business.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2025
He was drifting into the great slipstream in which many promising jockeys are lost, their talents never tried for lack of the skilled trainer, the wise owner, the “big horse.”
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
The blustery Manchester conditions had others looking to lurk in slipstreams, to dodge and draft.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2022
His stories from this era, particularly his novels, consequently move away from standard sci-fi tropes into post-modern themes, delving into slipstreams of consciousness, alternate realities, and hidden, unbelievable truths.
From The Verge ● Apr. 9, 2021
Like keirin races at the Olympics, the derny and stayer formats involve individuals racing behind motorised bikes that provide big slipstreams, enabling the riders to reach high speeds for flying final laps.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2015
Its frontman, Tim Kirk, is a confidently laid-back charmer who falls easily into blues slipstreams onstage.
From New York Times ● Feb. 6, 2014
That’s why it nauseated untrained Illuminators: it was an ocean of history, full of eddies and heaving tides, and it would rip you away down the slipstreams of memory.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
Piastri did all he could, but Verstappen followed him through Eau Rouge and slipstreamed past him up the hill.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2025
The Dutchman slipstreamed past Piastri up the hill to Les Combes, and then held the McLaren at bay for 15 laps, while Norris followed closely in third.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2025
Verstappen tracked him through the first few corners, slipstreamed him down the long, first back straight and dived for the inside into the chicane at Turns Six and Seven.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2021
There was further fallout too from Tom Dumoulin’s time penalty, imposed after Thursday’s finish to Mûr-de-Bretagne, when Froome’s rival slipstreamed his team car after suffering a broken wheel five kilometres from the finish.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 13, 2018
“It stands to reason that gains can be had by slipstreaming and combining efforts in the sky. And any innovation in the cargo space is good.”
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2024
The services slipstreaming in Napster’s wake benefited from the risks it took.
From The Guardian ● May 31, 2019
The others in our group have done at least one track session before, and are working their way towards accredited status by practising specific techniques such as slipstreaming and stacking.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 23, 2012
Drifting through the corners as tightly as possible, slipstreaming other cars to gain momentum before he passed, Hill began to eat into Clark's lead at the rate of 3 sec. or more a lap.
From Time Magazine Archive
Entertainment: The new "slipstreaming" and "OutRun Miles" features, which allow you to draft behind opponents and buy new stuff in showrooms, are welcome additions.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
