slinking

present participle of slink
as in lurking
to move about in a sly or secret manner like a thief slinking about in the middle of the night

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of slinking Video posted to social media shows a man slinking behind In-N-Out signs and shrubs, seeking out the source of the gunfire. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 2 Aug. 2026 Just running around wearing cloaks, slinking into and out of castles, slicing the throats of all who cross her. — Brian Grubb, Vulture, 27 July 2026 At night, guard dogs and surveillance teams monitor the grounds year-round, because catastrophe at Wimbledon comes in the form of a two-foot-long fox slinking onto a court and marking its territory. — Nick Pachelli, Time, 11 July 2026 Once the performers appear, slinking in from the sides of the stage, the show firmly takes shape and eases smoothly from one episode from the Gospels to the next. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026 In the official teaser, Lowen is slinking around the Crawford family house wearing a silk robe while Verity is fast asleep in bed. — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026 Psarras spends the majority of his time slinking through space, scanning the highly detailed living room of opulence for the next steps of Tony’s grisly plan (the varied set design, which includes some ingenious touches with translucent walls, is by Ron Gasparinetti) . — David John Chávez, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026 Either way, Invisigal is in the room listening to her friends debate her fate, noticeably slinking out as the door seemingly opens on its own. — Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025 When infertility came for me, my response was to pursue pregnancy with an ever-narrowing focus, incrementally eliminating everything else in my life—quitting my job, slinking away from friendships, disappearing from the wider world. — Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slinking
Verb
  • Unfortunately not, because another issue is lurking around the corner.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • John Willoughby Frank Dillane Dillane’s Willoughby, like Creed-Miles’ Marianne, has more of a darkness lurking beneath.
    — Reshma Gopaldas, IndieWire, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Kids made good accomplices, tasked with sneaking off on a hunt for the bill.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
  • At 15, Mariana de Miguel was already sneaking into Mexico City’s nightlife with a fake ID, saving money to see the bands that shaped her imagination.
    — Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Its model has Nvidia’s share of the other hyperscalers’ spending slipping from 18% in 2026 to 16% in 2027.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026
  • In the meantime, the strangers who are slipping into her home through the box have become her part-time companions, starting with Jason and Amanda and continuing with others like Leighton and Blair.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The system can also move with the trailer’s sliding suspension.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
  • His return this preseason was intentionally low-key, sliding onto the roster of the last-place Kings (22-60 last season) without much fanfare.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Slinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slinking. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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