slink

play

verb \ˈsliŋk\

Definition of slink

slunk

play \ˈsləŋk\ also

slinked

play \ˈsliŋ(k)t\;

slinking

intransitive verb
1 : to go or move stealthily or furtively (as in fear or shame) : steal
2 : to move in a sinuous provocative manner
transitive verb
: to give premature birth to —used especially of a domestic animal a cow that slinks her calf

See slink defined for English-language learners

See slink defined for kids

Examples of slink in a Sentence

He slinked away in shame.
like a thief slinking about in the middle of the night

Recent Examples of slink from the Web

Others just slink in and take a seat in the back, preferring to let their skills do the talking.

— andrew wendler, Car and Driver, "2017 Chevrolet Impala", 6 July 2017
Sporting bobs, suspenders and fringy flapper dresses, dancers on Tuesday night slinked, swooped and strutted through a glitzy opening number that had the look of a Baz Luhrmann film.

— christina campodonico, latimes.com, "Travis Wall brings a dizzying, sudsy dance spectacle to UCLA", 30 June 2017
Thibault doubled over, and all Ferrara could do was slink away and pray that nobody had seen.

— jason buckland, New York Times, "How a Candy Heir Sneaked Into Pro Hockey and Made His Name as a ‘Savage’", 29 May 2017
Major Lazer’s backup dancers make an appearance, slinking their way through the crowd and joining the festivities.

— kristin corpuz, Billboard, "Boston Calling Festival Wraps With Wild, Weird Sets From Major Lazer, Tool", 29 May 2017
But there’s nothing schematic or predictable about the host of mother problems slinking around these pages.

— ron charles, The Denver Post, "“Woman No. 17” a juice box of suburban satire", 26 May 2017
Some people want to wrestle for internet space; others are happy to slink into its more obscured corners.

— julie beck, The Atlantic, "All the Julie Becks and Me", 15 May 2017
The thefts have been caught on Brungardt’s many surveillance cameras, showing three different men slinking up to Brungardt’s outdoor displays and snagging the goods.

— max londberg, kansascity, "Attack of Cadillac Bandit and Bad Santa: Kansas business owner nicknames thieves", 10 May 2017
For a politician who sounds so keenly opposed to the notion of immigration, home secretary Amber Rudd likes to slink, daintily, around the issue, too.

— isobel thompson, The Hive, "France’s New President Is Already Fighting the Trump Agenda", 8 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'slink'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of slink

Middle English, from Old English slincan to creep; akin to Old English slingan to worm, twist

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of slink

lurk, skulk, slink, sneak mean to behave so as to escape attention. lurk implies a lying in wait in a place of concealment and often suggests an evil intent. suspicious men lurking in alleyways skulk suggests more strongly cowardice or fear or sinister intent. something skulking in the shadows slink implies moving stealthily often merely to escape attention. slunk around the corner sneak may add an implication of entering or leaving a place or evading a difficulty by furtive or underhanded methods. sneaked out early

slink

noun

Definition of slink

: the young of an animal (such as a calf) brought forth prematurely; also : the flesh or skin of such an animal

First Known Use of slink

1607

slink

adjective

Definition of slink

: born prematurely or abortively a slink calf

First Known Use of slink

1750

SLINK Defined for English Language Learners

slink

play

verb

Definition of slink for English Language Learners

: to move in a way that does not attract attention especially because you are embarrassed, afraid, or doing something wrong

SLINK Defined for Kids

slink

play

verb \ˈsliŋk\

Definition of slink for Students

slunk

\ˈsləŋk\;

slinking

: to move or go by or as if by creeping especially so as not to be noticed (as in fear or shame) … he stuck his tail between his legs and slunk swiftly away … — Jean Craighead George, Julie of the Wolves