slide

1 of 2

verb

ˈslīd 

slid ˈslid  ; sliding ˈslī-diŋ 

intransitive verb

1

a

: to move smoothly along a surface : slip

b

: to coast over snow or ice

c

of a base runner in baseball : to fall or dive feetfirst or headfirst when approaching a base

2

a

: to slip or fall by loss of footing

b

: to change position or become dislocated : shift

3

a

: to slither along the ground : crawl

b

: to stream along : flow

4

a

: to move or pass smoothly or easily

slid into the prepared speech

b

: to pass unnoticed or unremarked

let the criticism slide

5

a

: to pass unobtrusively : steal

b

: to pass by gradations especially downward

the economy slid from recession to depression

transitive verb

1

a

: to cause to glide or slip

b

: to traverse in a sliding manner

2

: to put unobtrusively or stealthily

slid the bill into his hand

slide

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: an act or instance of sliding

b(1)

: a musical grace of two or more small notes

(2)

: portamento

2

: a sliding part or mechanism: such as

a(1)

: a U-shaped section of tube in the trombone that is pushed out and in to produce the tones between the fundamental and its harmonics

(2)

: a short U-shaped section of tube in a brass instrument that is used to adjust the pitch of the instrument or of individual valves

b(1)

: a moving piece (such as the ram of a punch press) that is guided by a part along which it slides

(2)

: a guiding surface (such as a feeding mechanism) along which something slides

c

: sliding seat

d

: a step-in shoe or slipper

3

a

: the descent of a mass of earth, rock, or snow down a hill or mountainside

b

: a dislocation in which one rock mass in a mining lode has slid on another : fault

4

a(1)

: a slippery surface for coasting

(2)

: a chute with a slippery bed down which children slide in play

b

: a channel or track on which something is slid

c

: a sloping trough down which objects are carried by gravity

a log slide

5

a

: a flat piece of glass or plastic on which an object is mounted for microscopic examination

b(1)

: a photographic transparency on a small plate or film mounted for projection

(2)

: an electronic image presented as a part of a series

Kyle Patterson, the city's enterprise data strategist, flashed a series of PowerPoint slides with graphs of percentage growth since 1970.

—Maria L. La Ganga

6

: bottleneck sense 3

Synonyms

Verb

• lurk
• mooch
• mouse
• pussyfoot
• shirk
• skulk
• slink
• slip
• snake
• sneak
• steal

Examples of slide in a Sentence

Verb

The door slides open easily.

The firefighters slid down the pole to their trucks.

He slid the bottle across the table.

Slide your finger along the seam.

She slid the paper under the door.

He slid across the ice.

Cars were slipping and sliding all over the roads during the snowstorm.

Her purse slid out of her hands.

The strap of her dress kept sliding down.

She slid into the booth beside us.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The stock slid as much as 8.9% in early Paris trading to the lowest since 2018. —Angelina Rascouet, Fortune Europe, 24 Apr. 2024

That theory holds that the Earth’s crust is made up of plates floating on the hot mantle, and where those plates converge, sliding over or under each other, major earthquakes strike that can warp and reshape the landscape. —Christian Elliott, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024

Revenue slid 9%, the largest decline since 2012, for a total of $21 billion in the first quarter, according to an earnings release. —Paolo Confino, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2024

Play Video Weak Market Shares of Tianjin Construction Development Group Co., which provides engineering services, slid 39% in their debut in Hong Kong on Tuesday. —Filipe Pacheco, Fortune Asia, 23 Apr. 2024

Good posture and footwork to slide, secure and climb on work-up blocks. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2024

Devon Toews took away his passing option on a 2-on-1, but Lowry slid the puck through Georgiev’s legs along the ice for Winnipeg’s fourth goal in just 10 shots to that point, 8:57 into the middle period. —Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 21 Apr. 2024

The transition defense and paint defense also slid, with the Lakers not being crisp with getting back on defense once their shooting started to cool off, leading to 21 Denver fast-break points. —Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 21 Apr. 2024

After Norman flees the scene, Marion slowly slides down the tiled wall and attempts to step out of the shower before dying. —EW.com, 17 Apr. 2024

Noun

All Weather’s most popular iteration, which targets 10% volatility, lost 22% in 2022, the slides show, lagging most peers. —Justina Lee, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024

Into the slides had been packed an exhausting array of detail about the care provided for the tortoises in each facility. —Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy Gabra Zackman Emma Kehlbeck Lance Neal, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024

In the following slide, Beyoncé can be seen sitting on the train and holding hands with her husband, who was also there. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 21 Apr. 2024

The next slide included a throwback photo of the mom of five holding her as a newborn while her brother Padeon Brown seemingly gave her a kiss on the cheek. —Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024

Betts continued to play shows and tour until 1989, when the group once again reformed with a new slide guitarist from Betts’ band, Warren Haynes. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 18 Apr. 2024

Their styles contrasted, with Allman playing bluesy slide guitar, while Betts' solos and singing tugged the band toward country. —CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024

Don’t think a good chunk of her 363 million followers would just let that one slide. —Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024

The slide has pared the market value of Trump Media by more than $6 billion from its peak. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English slīdan; akin to Middle High German slīten to slide

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing slide

• hair slide
• let (something) slide
• let things slide
• on the slide
• slide fastener
• slide rule
• slide show
• slide valve

Kids Definition

slide

1 of 2 verb

ˈslīd 

slid ˈslid  ; sliding ˈslīd-iŋ 

1

a

: to move or cause to move smoothly along a surface

b

: to coast on snow or ice

c

: to fall or dive feetfirst or headfirst when approaching a base in baseball

2

: to slip and fall by a loss of footing, balance, or support

3

a

: to move or pass smoothly and easily

b

: to move, pass, or put so as not to be noticed

4

: to become worse gradually

slide

2 of 2 noun

1

: the act or motion of sliding

2

: a loosened mass that slides

a rock slide

3

a

: a sloping surface down which a person or thing slides

b

: something (as a cover for an opening) that operates or adjusts by sliding

4

a

: a small transparent picture or image that can be projected on a screen

b

: a small usually rectangular glass or plastic plate used to hold an object to be examined under a microscope

Medical Definition

slide

noun

ˈslīd 

: a flat piece of glass or plastic on which an object is mounted for microscopic examination