ooze

¹ooze

noun \ˈüz\

Definition of OOZE

1

: a soft deposit (as of mud, slime, or shells) on the bottom of a body of water

2

: a piece of soft wet plastic ground

Origin of OOZE

Middle English wose, from Old English wāse mire; akin to Old Norse veisa stagnant water

First Known Use: before 12th century

Other Ecology Terms

Malthusian, anthropogenic, biomass, carbon footprint, crepuscular, niche, sere, symbiosis, taiga, tundra

Rhymes with OOZE

blues, booze, bruise, choose, cruise, cruse, Druze, flews, fuse, lose, Meuse, muse, news, Ouse, roose, ruse, schmooze, snooze, trews, use, whose

²ooze

verb

oozedooz·ing

Definition of OOZE

intransitive verb

1

: to pass or flow slowly through or as if through small openings or interstices

2

: to move slowly or imperceptibly <the crowd began to ooze forward — Bruce Marshall>

3

a : to exude moisture

b : to exude something often in a faintly repellent manner <ooze with sympathy>

transitive verb

1

: to emit slowly

2

: exude 2 <ooze confidence>

Examples of OOZE

1. Sap oozed from the tree.
2. Juice oozed out of the plum.
3. The cut on her finger was oozing with blood.
4. The tree was oozing sap.
5. The cut on her finger was oozing blood.

Origin of OOZE

Middle English wosen, from wose sap

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to OOZE

Synonyms

bleed, exude, percolate, seep, strain, sweat, transude, weep

Antonyms

fly, race, speed, whiz (or whizz), zip

Related Words

dribble, drip, trickle; discharge, emit, give off, vent; emanate, flow, spring

Near Antonyms

flood, gush, pour, stream, surge

³ooze

noun

Definition of OOZE

1

: a decoction of vegetable material used for tanning leather

2

: the act of oozing

3

: something that oozes

Origin of OOZE

Middle English wose sap, juice, from Old English wōs; akin to Old High German waso damp

First Known Use: 1587