What does "slime" mean?
Soft, moist earth or clay, having an adhesive quality; viscous mud; any substance of a dirty nature, that is moist, soft, and adhesive; bitumen; mud containing metallic ore, obtained in the preparatory dressing.
Slime
/slaɪm/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Soft, moist earth or clay, having an adhesive quality; viscous mud; any substance of a dirty nature, that is moist, soft, and adhesive; bitumen; mud containing metallic ore, obtained in the preparatory dressing.
- Grammar: slime is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: begrime, bemire, besmirch, besmoke.
- Useful contrasts: acquit, clean, dry film.
- Usage evidence: There was green slime oozing out of the pipe.
How to use "slime"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "slime" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "slime" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "slime" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "slime" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "slime" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "begrime" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "slime", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Soft, moist earth or clay, having an adhesive quality; viscous mud; any substance of a dirty nature, that is moist, soft, and adhesive; bitumen; mud containing metallic ore, obtained in the preparatory dressing. countable, uncountable
"As it [the Nile] ebbs, the seedsman / Upon the slime and ooze scatters his grain."
- 2 any thick, viscous matter wordnet
- 3 Any mucilaginous substance; or a mucus-like substance which exudes from the bodies of certain animals, such as snails or slugs. countable, uncountable
"You ſhould rub your Teeth and whole Mouth and Gums, the Pallate and Tongue, with a clean courſe cloth, rubbing off the ſlime which groweth upon them in the night."
- 4 Synonym of flubber (“kind of rubbery polymer”). countable, uncountable
- 5 A sneaky, unethical person; a slimeball. countable, derogatory, informal, uncountable
""What about that, you slime?""
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A monster having the form of a slimy blob. countable, uncountable
"This is a nameless blue slime, drawn by Chris Hildenbrand, for a role playing game (RPG) that was never released."
- 7 Human flesh, seen disparagingly; mere human form. countable, figuratively, obsolete, uncountable
"[…] th'eternall Lord in fleshly slime / Enwombed was, from wretched Adams line / To purge away the guilt of sinfull crime […]"
- 8 Jew’s slime (bitumen). countable, obsolete, uncountable
"And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter."
- 9 A friend; a homie. countable, slang, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To coat with slime. transitive
"‘Children crawled over each other like little grey worms in the gutters,’ he said. ‘The only red things about them were their buttocks and they were raw. Their faces looked as if snails had slimed on them and their mothers were like great sick beasts whose byres had never been cleared.[…]’"
- 2 cover or stain with slime wordnet
- 3 To besmirch or disparage. figuratively, transitive
- 4 To carve (fish), removing the offal.
"If so, this job was better than sliming salmon any day."
- 5 To move like slime. intransitive
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To behave in a slimy, unethical manner. figuratively, intransitive
- 7 To murder. slang, transitive
- 8 To denigrate or slander. Singapore, transitive
Example
"There was green slime oozing out of the pipe."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "slime"?
Common synonyms include: begrime, bemire, besmirch, besmoke, biofilm matrix, carrion.
How do you use "slime" in a sentence?
There was green slime oozing out of the pipe.
How do you pronounce "slime"?
Pronounced /slaɪm/.
Etymology
From Middle English slime, slyme, slim, slym, from Old English slīm, from Proto-West Germanic *slīm, from Proto-Germanic *slīmą, from Proto-Indo-European *sley- (“smooth; slick; sticky; slimy”). Cognates include Saterland Frisian Sliem, Dutch slijm, German Schleim (“mucus, slime”), Danish slim, Faroese slím (“slime”), Latin limus (“mud”), Ancient Greek λίμνη (límnē, “marsh”).