slither

[ slith-er ]

See synonyms for: slither slithered slithering slithers on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

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)

to cause to slither or slide.

noun

a slithering movement; slide.

Origin of slither

1150–1200; Middle English slitheren, variant of sliddren,Old English slid(e)rian, frequentative of slīdan to slide; see -er⁶

Other words from slither

slith·er·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use slither in a sentence

The black mamba snake slithering towards Lakshmi is highly venomous.
‘Gods of Suburbia’: Dina Goldstein’s Arresting Photo Series on Religion vs. Consumerism | Dina Goldstein | November 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He was slithering downward, bored, lonely, erratic, sending out thousands of text messages.
Derek Boogaard: The Player Hockey Hooked by Feeding Him Painkillers | Buzz Bissinger | June 7, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
There are an estimated 30,000 of them, slithering through Miami and surrounding counties.
The Great Python Hunt | Catharine Skipp | February 26, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
Lately, the pythons are slithering out of border wildlife areas, and into farmland.
The Great Python Hunt | Catharine Skipp | February 26, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
Somewhere slithering around is the idea that they must get this black man out of their historically white House.
Is Obama an American? | John Avlon | July 22, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST

I thought I was in the wood; James Mottram lay before me, done to death by that puffing devil we saw slithering by so fast.
Studies in love and in terror | Marie Belloc Lowndes
The rolling truck door was open a crack and I dove for it, slithering out under it.
Little Brother | Cory Doctorow
Comes a carriage with two fat bay horses slithering, almost swimming up the corkscrew high-street.
Sea and Sardinia | D. H. Lawrence
Davidge hit the deck like a ball-player sliding for a base, and he went slithering to the edge.
The Cup of Fury | Rupert Hughes
Every head was turned towards him, the glass-bright eyes fixed on his, and the tongues slithering with eagerness.
The Woodlands Orchids | Frederick Boyle

British Dictionary definitions for slither

slither

/ (ˈslɪðə) /

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

a slithering motion

Origin of slither

Old English slidrian, from slīdan to slide

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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