Slip

/slɪp/ noun, verb

noun, verb ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: An act or instance of slipping.
  • Grammar: slip is listed as noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: skid, aberration, accord, adhesive tape.
  • Useful contrasts: arrive, barge, belaying.
  • Usage evidence: If you're not careful, you might slip and fall on the icy steps.

How to use "slip"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "slip" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. 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 "slip" 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 "slip" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "slip" 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 "slip" is acting as noun, verb 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 "skid" 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 "slip", 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. 1
    An act or instance of slipping.

    "I had a slip on the ice and bruised my hip."

  2. 2
    A twig or shoot; a cutting.

    "a slip from a vine"

  3. 3
    A thin, slippery mix of clay and water. countable, uncountable

    "The Wasserpfeife or water-whistle from Moravia was a bird whistle made during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. […] The bird is of a grey and brown mottled glaze with sgraffito markings and touches of green slip."

  4. 4
    the act of avoiding capture (especially by cunning) wordnet
  5. 5
    A woman's undergarment worn under a skirt or dress to conceal unwanted nudity that may otherwise be revealed by the skirt or dress itself; a shift.
Show 46 more definitions
  1. 6
    A descendant, a scion. obsolete

    "a native slip to us from foreign seeds"

  2. 7
    Mud, slime. countable, obsolete, uncountable
  3. 8
    a minor inadvertent mistake usually observed in speech or writing or in small accidents or memory lapses etc. wordnet
  4. 9
    A slipdress.
  5. 10
    A young person (now usually with of introducing descriptive qualifier).

    "She couldn't hurt a fly, young slip of a girl that she is."

  6. 11
    a socially awkward or tactless act wordnet
  7. 12
    A mistake or error.

    "a slip of the tongue"

  8. 13
    A long, thin piece of something.

    "Never, nevermore / Shall lone Œnone see the morning mist / Sweep thro' them—never see them overlaid / With narrow moonlit slips of silver cloud, / Between the loud stream and the trembling stars."

  9. 14
    a flight maneuver; aircraft slides sideways in the air wordnet
  10. 15
    A berth; a space for a ship to moor.
  11. 16
    A small piece of paper, especially one longer than it is wide, typically a form for writing on or one giving printed information.

    "a salary slip"

  12. 17
    an unexpected slide wordnet
  13. 18
    A difference between the theoretical distance traveled per revolution of the propeller and the actual advance of the vessel.
  14. 19
    A memorandum of the particulars of a risk for which a policy is to be executed. It usually bears the broker's name and is initiated by the underwriters.
  15. 20
    bed linen consisting of a cover for a pillow wordnet
  16. 21
    A slipway.
  17. 22
    a woman's sleeveless undergarment wordnet
  18. 23
    A one-time return to previous maladaptive behavior after cure.
  19. 24
    a small sheet of paper wordnet
  20. 25
    Any of several fielding positions to the off side of the wicket keeper, designed to catch the ball after being deflected from the bat; a fielder in that position (See first slip, second slip, third slip, fourth slip and fifth slip.)

    "He took a screamer at slip."

  21. 26
    artifact consisting of a narrow flat piece of material wordnet
  22. 27
    A number between 0 and 1 that is the difference between the angular speed of a rotating magnetic field and the angular speed of its rotor, divided by the angular speed of the magnetic field.
  23. 28
    a slippery smoothness wordnet
  24. 29
    A leash or string by which a dog is held; so called from its being made in such a manner as to slip, or become loose, by relaxation of the hand.

    "We stalked over the extensive plains with Killbuck and Lena in the slips, in search of deer."

  25. 30
    an accidental misstep threatening (or causing) a fall wordnet
  26. 31
    An escape; a secret or unexpected desertion.

    "He gave the warden the slip and escaped from the prison."

  27. 32
    a place where a craft can be made fast wordnet
  28. 33
    Clipping of sideslip. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping
  29. 34
    a young and slender person wordnet
  30. 35
    A portion of the columns of a newspaper, etc., struck off by itself; a proof from a column of type when set up and in the galley. dated
  31. 36
    a part (sometimes a root or leaf or bud) removed from a plant to propagate a new plant through rooting or grafting wordnet
  32. 37
    A child's pinafore. dated
  33. 38
    potter's clay that is thinned and used for coating or decorating ceramics wordnet
  34. 39
    An outside covering or case.

    "a pillow slip"

  35. 40
    A counterfeit piece of money, made from brass covered with silver. obsolete

    "ROMEO:[…]Good morrow to you both. What counterfeit did I give you? MERCUTIO:The slip, sir, the slip. Can you not conceive?"

  36. 41
    Matter found in troughs of grindstones after the grinding of edge tools.

    "the Grindstone, commonly called Slipp, is used to the same purpose in dying of Silks."

  37. 42
    A particular quantity of yarn.
  38. 43
    A narrow passage between buildings. UK, dated
  39. 44
    Either side of the gallery in a theater.

    "The gallery contains nine rows of seats, besides those in the slips."

  40. 45
    A long seat or narrow pew in churches, often without a door. US
  41. 46
    A dislocation of a lead, destroying continuity.
  42. 47
    The motion of the centre of resistance of the float of a paddle wheel, or the blade of an oar, through the water horizontally, or the difference between a vessel's actual speed and the speed it would have if the propelling instrument acted upon a solid; also, the velocity, relatively to still water, of the backward current of water produced by the propeller.
  43. 48
    The difference between the actual and synchronous speeds of an induction motor.
  44. 49
    The positional displacement in a sequence of transmitted symbols that causes the loss or insertion of one or more symbols.
  45. 50
    A fish, the sole.
  46. 51
    A newsletter produced by the setter of a cryptic clue-writing competition, containing a full list of winners and commentary on the clues.

    "After about a dozen competitions someone suggested that a slip should be sent round to those who applied for it, containing in full the clues of all prizewinners and of those highly commended (there was only room for the first prizewinner’s clue in the paper)."

Verb
  1. 1
    To lose one’s traction on a slippery surface; to slide due to a lack of friction. intransitive

    "[...] but in the damp conditions prevailing the driver sensibly was unwilling to attempt the climb up through Combe Down tunnel without help, for fear of slipping to a standstill in the unventilated bore, […]"

  2. 2
    insert inconspicuously or quickly or quietly wordnet
  3. 3
    To err. intransitive

    "There is one that slippeth in his speach, but not from his heart, and who is he that hath not offended with his tongue?"

  4. 4
    fall to a lower standard wordnet
  5. 5
    To accidentally reveal a secret or otherwise say something unintentionally. intransitive
Show 23 more definitions
  1. 6
    move out of position wordnet
  2. 7
    To move or fly (out of place); to shoot; often with out, off, etc. intransitive

    "A bone may slip out of place."

  3. 8
    pass out of one's memory wordnet
  4. 9
    To elude or evade by smooth movement. transitive

    "I caught the thief, but he slipped my grasp and ran away."

  5. 10
    to make a mistake or be incorrect wordnet
  6. 11
    To pass (a note, money, etc.), often covertly. transitive

    "She thanked the porter and slipped a ten-dollar bill into his hand."

  7. 12
    move obliquely or sideways, usually in an uncontrolled manner wordnet
  8. 13
    To cause to move smoothly and quickly; to slide; to convey gently or secretly. transitive

    "Tvvo other VVitneſſes gave the follovving Evidence; That in his officious Attendance upon his Miſtreſs, he had try'd to ſlip a Povvder into her Drink, and that he vvas once catch'd endeavouring to ſtifle her vvith a Pillovv as ſhe vvas aſleep; […]"

  9. 14
    move stealthily wordnet
  10. 15
    To move quickly and often secretively; to depart, withdraw, enter, appear, intrude, or escape as if by sliding. intransitive

    "Some errors slipped into the appendix."

  11. 16
    move smoothly and easily wordnet
  12. 17
    To move down; to slide. figuratively, intransitive

    "Profits have slipped over the past six months."

  13. 18
    cause to move with a smooth or sliding motion wordnet
  14. 19
    To release (a dog, a bird of prey, etc.) to go after a quarry. transitive

    "Lucento slipped me like his greyhound."

  15. 20
    move easily wordnet
  16. 21
    Clipping of sideslip (“to fly with the longitudinal axis misaligned with the relative wind”). abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, intransitive
  17. 22
    pass on stealthily wordnet
  18. 23
    To remove the skin of a soft fruit, such as a tomato or peach, by blanching briefly in boiling water, then transferring to cold water so that the skin peels, or slips, off easily. transitive
  19. 24
    To omit; to lose by negligence. obsolete

    "And slip no advantage / That may secure you."

  20. 25
    To cut slips from; to cut; to take off; to make a slip or slips of. transitive

    "to slip a piece of cloth or paper"

  21. 26
    To cause to slip or slide off, or out of place. transitive

    "A horse slips his bridle; a dog slips his collar."

  22. 27
    To bring forth (young) prematurely; to slink.
  23. 28
    To cause (a schedule or release, etc.) to go, or let it go, beyond the allotted deadline. transitive

    "We have been consistently slipping the product release schedules."

Synonyms

All synonyms
skidaberrationaccordadhesive tapeadministeradolescent

Example

"If you're not careful, you might slip and fall on the icy steps."

Common questions

What does "slip" mean?

An act or instance of slipping.

What is a synonym for "slip"?

Common synonyms include: skid, aberration, accord, adhesive tape, administer, adolescent.

How do you use "slip" in a sentence?

If you're not careful, you might slip and fall on the icy steps.

How do you pronounce "slip"?

Pronounced /slɪp/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English slippen, probably from Middle Low German slippen, from Old Saxon *slippian, from Proto-West Germanic *slippjan, from Proto-Germanic *slipjaną (“to glide”), an iterative form of *slīpaną (“to slip, slide”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleyb- (“slimy; to slide”). Possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *slewbʰ- (“slip, slide”), or related to Proto-Germanic *slībaną (“to split”); related to Old English slipor (“slippery”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian slipje (“to slip”), Dutch slippen (“to slip”), German Low German slippen.

Etymology 2

Probably from Middle Dutch slippe or Middle Low German slippe, probably ultimately related to Proto-West Germanic *slīban (“to split”).

Etymology 3

From Middle English slyp, slep, slyppe, from Old English slyp, slyppe, slipa (“a viscous, slimy substance”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Proto-West Germanic *sleupan, from Proto-Germanic *sleupaną (“to slip, sneak”), possibly connected with Proto-Indo-European *slewb-, *slewbʰ- (“slip, slide”), from Proto-Indo-European *sel- (“to sneak, crawl”); or alternatively from Proto-Germanic *slippijaną (“to glide”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleyb- (“slimy; to glide”). Compare Old English slūpan (“to slip, glide”), Old English cūslyppe, cūsloppe (“cowslip”).

More for "slip"

Synonyms

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