slider

American  

[slahy-der] / ˈslaɪ dər /

noun

1. a person or thing that slides.

2. Baseball. a pitch similar to a curveball but one in which the ball rolls or slides, rather than spins, out of the pitcher’s hand and, like a curveball, drops and veers as it approaches home plate, sharply but with less of a curve.

   Johnson’s unhittable slider made him one of the best pitchers in the history of the game.

3. any of several freshwater turtles of the genus Chrysemys, of North America, having a smooth shell usually olive brown with various markings above and yellow below: some, especially C. scripta, are raised commercially and the young sold as pets, rarely surviving to adulthood.

4. a small burger on a bun.

   beef and lamb sliders.

---

Etymology

Origin of slider

First recorded in 1520–30; 1930–35 slider for def. 2; slide + -er ¹

Example Sentences

They can tell you how many times a slider spins on its way home, the exact angle of every swing and how long it takes an outfielder to break on a fly ball.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

Because it doesn’t spin like a slider, batters often read it as a fastball out of the pitcher’s hand—only for the ball to plummet into the dirt at the last possible moment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Martins Dukurs - widely regarded as the greatest slider to ever take to the ice - became Great Britain's new coach.

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026

In a showdown between two MVPs, Ohtani struck out Trout on a 3-2 slider, giving Japan its third WBC championship.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2026

I opened the slider and walked into the kitchen.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen