slippage

American  

[slip-ij] / ˈslɪp ɪdʒ /

noun

1. an act or instance of slipping.

2. an amount or extent of slipping.

3. failure to maintain an expected level, fulfill a goal, meet a deadline, etc.; loss, decline, or delay; a falling off.

4. Machinery. the amount of work dissipated by slipping of parts, excess play, etc.

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slippage British  

/ ˈslɪpɪdʒ /

noun

1. the act or an instance of slipping

2. the amount of slipping or the extent to which slipping occurs

3. 1. an instance of not reaching a norm, target, etc

   2. the extent of this

4. the power lost in a mechanical device or system as a result of slipping

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Etymology

Origin of slippage

First recorded in 1840–50; slip ¹ + -age

Example Sentences

In mitotic slippage, the cell starts the division process but exits too early before its chromosomes are properly separated.

From Science Daily • May 25, 2026

But if England can avoid the early scoreboard slippage that has afflicted them in the past matches and stick tight to the hosts, they may be rewarded.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

But her comments immediately rattled the bond market, worried by the prospect of fiscal slippage, with yields on 30- and 40-year Japanese bonds jumping to record highs.

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

As the weather factor subsides and diesel futures loosen their price prop to the rest of the complex, “some price slippage would appear likely,” the firm adds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

In making the splice graft, the diagonal cut should be about four times as long as the diameter of the scion, to prevent slippage in tying.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Thirty-Seventh Annual Report Wooster, Ohio, September 3, 4, 5, 1946 by Northern Nut Growers Association