slither

verb

slith·​er ˈsli-t͟hər 

slithered; slithering; slithers

intransitive verb

1

: to slide on or as if on a loose gravelly surface

2

: to slip or slide like a snake

transitive verb

: to cause to slide

Synonyms

• belly
• crawl
• creep
• grovel
• slide
• snake
• worm
• wriggle

Examples of slither in a Sentence

The snake slithered through the garden.

To get under the porch, I lay on my stomach and slithered like a snake.

She slithered quietly into the room.

He slithered his hand around her waist.

Recent Examples on the Web

There were gowns that slithered along the body — in a sheer, gauzy black chiffon with gold appliques, in shiny leather, and sequined silver with slits and straps. —Blue Carreon, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024

Be warned, the film is not for the faint of heart with its oozing body cavities, slithering viscera, and firehose blasts of blood. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2024

Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix will sing and slither their way back to Venice as DC villains in Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux. —Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2024

Since snakes hug the soil with their slithering bodies, fences don’t need to be tall, but they should be buried 3 to 4 inches beneath the soil to discourage digging. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English slideren, from Old English slidrian, frequentative of slīdan to slide

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Kids Definition

slither

verb

slith·​er ˈslit͟h-ər 

1

: to slide or cause to slide on or as if on a loose gravelly surface

2

: to slip or slide like a snake