slide
Americanverb (used without object)
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to move along in continuous contact with a smooth or slippery surface.
to slide down a snow-covered hill.
- Synonyms:
- slither
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to slip or skid.
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to glide or pass smoothly.
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to slip easily, quietly, or unobtrusively on or as if on a track, channel, or guide rail (usually followed by in, out, away, etc.).
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to pass or fall gradually into a specified state, character, practice, etc.
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to decline or decrease.
Interest rates are beginning to slide.
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Baseball. (of a base runner) to cast oneself, usually feet first, forward along the ground in the direction of the base being approached, to present less of a target for a baseman attempting to make a tag.
verb (used with object)
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to cause to slide, slip, or coast, as over a surface or with a smooth, gliding motion.
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to hand, pass along, or slip (something) easily or quietly (usually followed by in, into, etc.).
to slide a note into someone's hand.
noun
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an act or instance of sliding.
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a smooth surface for sliding on, especially a type of chute in a playground.
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an object intended to slide.
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Geology.
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a landslide or the like.
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the mass of matter sliding down.
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a single transparency, object, or image for projection in a projector, as a lantern slide.
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Photography. a small positive color transparency mounted for projection on a screen or magnification through a viewer.
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a usually rectangular plate of glass on which objects are placed for microscopic examination.
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Furniture. a shelf sliding into the body of a piece when not in use.
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Music.
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an embellishment consisting of an upward or downward series of three or more tones, the last of which is the principal tone.
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a portamento.
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a U -shaped section of the tube of an instrument of the trumpet class, as the trombone, that can be pushed in or out to alter the length of the air column and change the pitch.
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a vehicle mounted on runners, for conveying loads, as of grain or wood, especially over a level surface.
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(of a machine or mechanism)
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a moving part working on a track, channel, or guide rails.
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the surface, track, channel, or guide rails on which the part moves.
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any of various chutes used in logging, mining, or materials handling.
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a flat or very low-heeled, backless shoe or slipper that can be slipped on and off the foot easily.
idioms
verb
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to move or cause to move smoothly along a surface in continual contact with it
doors that slide open
children sliding on the ice
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(intr) to lose grip or balance
he slid on his back
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(intr; usually foll by into, out of, away from, etc) to pass or move gradually and unobtrusively
she slid into the room
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to go (into a specified condition) by degrees, unnoticeably, etc
he slid into loose living
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to move (an object) unobtrusively or (of an object) to move in this way
he slid the gun into his pocket
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(intr) music to execute a portamento
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to allow to follow a natural course, esp one leading to deterioration
to let things slide
noun
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the act or an instance of sliding
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a smooth surface, as of ice or mud, for sliding on
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a construction incorporating an inclined smooth slope for sliding down in playgrounds, etc
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rowing a sliding seat in a boat or its runners
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a thin glass plate on which specimens are mounted for microscopic study
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Also called: transparency. a positive photograph on a transparent base, mounted in a cardboard or plastic frame or between glass plates, that can be viewed by means of a slide projector
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Also called: hair slide. US and Canadian name: barrette. an ornamental clip to hold hair in place
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machinery
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a sliding part or member
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the track, guide, or channel on or in which such a part slides
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music
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the sliding curved tube of a trombone that is moved in or out to allow the production of different harmonic series and a wider range of notes
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a portamento
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music
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a metal or glass tube placed over a finger held against the frets of a guitar to produce a portamento
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the style of guitar playing using a slide See also bottleneck
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geology
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the rapid downward movement of a large mass of earth, rocks, etc, caused by erosion, faulting, etc
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the mass of material involved in this descent See also landslide
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A mass movement of earth, rocks, snow, or ice down a slope. Slides can be caused by an accumulation of new matter or of moisture in the overlying material, or by erosion within or below the material. They are often triggered by an earthquake or other disturbance such as an explosion.
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The mass of material resulting from such a process.
Synonym Usage
Slide, glide, slip suggest movement over a smooth surface. Slide suggests a movement of one surface over another in contact with it: to slide downhill. Glide suggests a continuous, smooth, easy, and (usually) noiseless motion: a skater gliding over the ice. To slip is to slide in a sudden or accidental way: to slip on the ice and fall.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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slidesimple
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slidessimple
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have slidperfect
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have sliddenperfect
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has slidperfect
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has sliddenperfect
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am slidingprogressive
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are slidingprogressive
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is slidingprogressive
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have been slidingperfect progressive
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has been slidingperfect progressive
Past
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slidsimple
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had slidperfect
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had sliddenperfect
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was slidingprogressive
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were slidingprogressive
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had been slidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slide
First recorded before 950; Middle English sliden (verb), Old English slīdan; cognate with Middle Low German slīden, Middle High German slīten; akin to sled
Explanation
To slide is to move down or across something in a smooth way. If you’re into that kind of thing, head to a playground and go down a slide. Just don’t push any toddlers out of the way. You can slide your bed across your room so it's near the window, or slide on the kitchen floor in your socks. You can also slide down a slide, a play structure that's designed for climbing up and sliding down. Another kind of slide is the small rectangular piece of glass that scientists slide under a microscope to examine specimens, or the photography slide you slide into a projector for viewing.
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:
"Behind each slide there should be a document, a budget and a procedure," the general went on.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
The superintendent himself served as the master of ceremonies, with performers weaving around him, cameos by celebrities, and slide projections and film sequences appearing on cue to supplement his applause and laugh lines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
The projection "assumes no material escalation in the Middle East" and no significant jump in commodity costs, according to a slide.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
For my edification, Nicolson allowed the Bentley to gather some sideways slide as we were coming through Turn 2.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
“A slide could be gigantic,” Voight told Crandell.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Those slides have raised concerns over people who have borrowed money to invest in stocks, leading to South Korean authorities taking action to curb the practice.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Big declines in Bitcoin, as well as the ongoing slides in gold and silver suggest some speculative money exiting markets as well.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
In afternoon European trade, Brent crude slides 2.8% to $74.62 a barrel, while WTI futures fall 3% to $71.06 a barrel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
At 10:30 a.m., the bell rings through the halls of William F. Prisk Elementary School in Long Beach, sending students racing onto the playground, throwing basketballs, doing cartwheels, gliding down slides.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
The Obayifo slides away from me until it hits a nearby tree.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Shares of IBM slid 2.5% in premarket trading after falling more than 2% during Wednesday’s session before the company reported results for the three months that ended June 30.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
The S&P 500 was off 1.6% on the week, while the Dow fell 0.9% and the Nasdaq Composite slid 2.9%, according to FactSet data.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 19, 2026
Discovery, Tennessee slid into Paramount’s DMs, suggesting it would be better treated in the southern state.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
Chip maker Infineon Technologies slid 4.6%, while Siemens Energy dropped 2.7%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Slowly, I slid down the side of the bookcase until I was sitting on my heels, then buried my face in my hands.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
Lovely, slidden pass by Tielemans, and a lovely, calm, delayed finish by Iheancho.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 6, 2021
In places the tracks are such as would be made by feet, that had slidden upon soft clay in descending declivities.
From The First White Man of the West Life and Exploits of Col. Dan'l. Boone, the First Settler of Kentucky; Interspersed with Incidents in the Early Annals of the Country. by Flint, Timothy
If he washes with a piece of hard untractable soap, and it darts from his hand and scoots along the floor, his "luck has dropped" and "slidden" likewise.
From Danger! A True History of a Great City's Wiles and Temptations The Veil Lifted, and Light Thrown on Crime and its Causes, and Criminals and their Haunts. Facts and Disclosures. by Howe, William F.
I am glad you like 'Roland,' which I did myself for half the first No.; but he has slidden out of my favour since that.
From Charles Lever, His Life in His Letters, Vol. I by Downey, Edmund
The slidden boat gave way And the black foamy water split—and met.
From Men, Women and Ghosts by Lowell, Amy
Waddingham, for that matter, is a sort of fantastical creature herself, appearing from scene to scene on a sliding scale from glamorous to extremely glamorous.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Swift’s popularity has been sliding since the peak of her well-received Eras tour that kicked off in 2023.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
One, he said, showed someone sliding down a pyramid feature.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
It is not normal that he is gliding and sliding and then charging around the baseline, running to the net to meet drop shots, and still sending down second serves at 122 mph.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
“He knows, he just doesn’t want to tell us,” Ana says, sliding her phone in her pocket.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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.
