slither
Americanverb (used without object)
-
slithers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
slithered,
past participle, past
-
slithering
present participle
-
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.
-
to go or walk with a sliding motion.
The snake slithered across the path.
verb (used with object)
-
slithers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
slithered,
past participle, past
-
slithering
present participle
noun
verb
-
to move or slide or cause to move or slide unsteadily, as on a slippery surface
-
(intr) to travel with a sliding motion
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
slithersimple
-
slitherssimple
-
have slitheredperfect
-
has slitheredperfect
-
am slitheringprogressive
-
are slitheringprogressive
-
is slitheringprogressive
-
have been slitheringperfect progressive
-
has been slitheringperfect progressive
Past
-
slitheredsimple
-
had slitheredperfect
-
was slitheringprogressive
-
were slitheringprogressive
-
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
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!
Hot to Trot: Animal Ambulation
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!
Beowulf: A New Telling
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:
He still has that elastic yogi’s body and can still slither across the baseline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Families and astronomers gathered at a site known locally as "top of the world" on Gaisby Lane, Shipley, to try to see a slither of the new crescent moon.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026
Still, he held on to a slither of hope.
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
Now we get the “Slow-Lows,” bottom-feeders who slither on the ground and survive off leftovers from other creatures: earthworms or other easy-to-catch prey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2025
Behind them in the cavern the giant adder settled down to a leisurely slither, his tongue flickered wickedly.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
"You take multiple pictures, sometimes over 100 and it takes tiny little slithers of focus, and then you put all those into software, and that creates your final image."
From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025
Unbeknownst to us though, the real Chalamet, incognito in a mask and baseball hat, slithers through the crowd like an undetected chosen one, or like his character, Lisan al Gaib in “Dune.”
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2024
Once it has a plan in place, the 14-foot-long robot lowers its head, engages its 48 motors and slowly slithers forward.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2023
You stand stock-still until it quiets down and slithers on its way.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2023
It releases its hold on the ship, and slithers back into the water.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
Throughout the World Cup, the team slithered away from trouble again and again … until the final game.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
But she clipped the wall of the halfpipe halfway down the course and slithered to the base, losing a ski.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
They spontaneously linked together to form chains that slithered through some obstacles and surrounded other objects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2025
Huw Jones wriggled through traffic and got it to Darcy Graham, who stepped, slithered and scarpered away from the Wallabies.
From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2024
A snake made of starlight slithered through the ceiling licking its tongue out to greet them.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
The promotional contents within tap into parents’ grief with a slithering sort of sympathy: “You want more time together . . . you’re not ready to forget.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Set against a slithering, seductive Chicago house beat, it’s really more of a command, one that the Queen of Pop immediately follows with another decree: “Come on, meet me on the dance floor.”
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
On the slithering “Naraka,” a mass of voices come together in a chant while a dense tangle of electronics coil around them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
A driver had to make an unexpected stop on a Melbourne motorway after she looked down to find a deadly snake inside her car - and slithering up her leg.
From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2024
And out the demons came—from every cave and crevice, through every fissure and crack, from under the rocks and up from the mud, stomping and shuffling, slithering and sliding, through the murky shadows.
From "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster
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.
