slither
Americanverb (used without object)
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to slide down or along a surface, especially unsteadily, from side to side, or with some friction or noise.
The box slithered down the chute.
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to go or walk with a sliding motion.
The snake slithered across the path.
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
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to move or slide or cause to move or slide unsteadily, as on a slippery surface
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(intr) to travel with a sliding motion
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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slithersimple
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slitherssimple
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have slitheredperfect
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has slitheredperfect
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are slitheringprogressive
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am slitheringprogressive
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is slitheringprogressive
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have been slitheringperfect progressive
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has been slitheringperfect progressive
Past
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slitheredsimple
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had slitheredperfect
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was slitheringprogressive
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were slitheringprogressive
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had been slitheringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slither
1150–1200; Middle English slitheren, variant of sliddren, Old English slid ( e ) rian, frequentative of slīdan to slide; see -er 6
Explanation
Slither means to move in a sideways motion, usually silently. Snakes, of all kinds, slither, from the original snake in the Garden of Eden, to that untrustworthy-looking individual who approaches you in the street. Slither comes from the Old English term slidrian, meaning "to slide on a loose or gravely surface." While slide is in some ways similar to slither, it lacks its truly nasty moral and physical associations. It's a safe bet that slitherers do not have your best interests at heart.
Vocabulary lists containing slither
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Hot to Trot: Animal Ambulation
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Beowulf: A New Telling
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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.
The set took a while to get going - front-loaded with songs like the title track from the band's misfiring 2008 album Chinese Democracy; and Slither, a single by Slash's post-GNR side project Velvet Revolver.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2023
Two purple-turbaned snake charmers performed in the show with 12-foot reptiles — Storm and Slither.
From New York Times • Jan. 30, 2020
Gunn’s credits also include 2006 horror Slither and he was set to reboot a new series of Starsky & Hutch.
From The Guardian • Jul. 20, 2018
James Gunn went from offbeat, small-scale genre films like "Slither" and "Super" to last summer's smash space opera, "Guardians of the Galaxy."
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 7, 2015
Slither, slith′ėr, v.i. to slide.—adj. slippery.—n. a limestone rubble.—adjs.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
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.
