as in lurking
to move about in a sly or secret manner
like a thief slinking about in the middle of the night
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Recent Examples of slinking
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
And Taylor telegraphs this through every beguiling movement, sometimes slinking, other times exuding braggadocio.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
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
The women wear stunning fashion numbers, Sebastian’s wife Dineo Price slinking down a staircase in a cleavage revealing skimpy number in its opening minutes.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
With the same playfulness of her makeup, Woods slicked the body of her hair in a bun on top of her head; her caramel-colored curled ends slinking around.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Now summer is slinking off and autumn is rushing in, cool and a little wistful.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
On the final stretch into the town, fruit sellers latched onto the sides, vendors perched in the doorways, and school kids rode a few meters before slipping down and slinking off towards their homes.
—Monisha Rajesh, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2024
David John Chávez, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
And Taylor telegraphs this through every beguiling movement, sometimes slinking, other times exuding braggadocio.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
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
The women wear stunning fashion numbers, Sebastian’s wife Dineo Price slinking down a staircase in a cleavage revealing skimpy number in its opening minutes.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
With the same playfulness of her makeup, Woods slicked the body of her hair in a bun on top of her head; her caramel-colored curled ends slinking around.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Now summer is slinking off and autumn is rushing in, cool and a little wistful.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
On the final stretch into the town, fruit sellers latched onto the sides, vendors perched in the doorways, and school kids rode a few meters before slipping down and slinking off towards their homes.
—Monisha Rajesh, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slinking
Verb
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There are stories of a knife-wielding, bride-killing monster lurking in the woods, which Nicky’s big brother (Jeff Wilbusch’s icy Jules) may or may not have encountered as a child.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Mar. 2026
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Some of the animal bones lurking inside are completely unexpected, too.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Late Tuesday morning, in Terminal E, the line extends three stories, including outside the airport terminal where lines are sneaking around the drop-off stations for buses.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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Friends are sprawled out on the couch, or coming in and out of the room to show off their outfits, or sneaking mimosas into coffee cups.—
Jazmine Hughes,
Allure,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Before the pandemic shuttered the season, the Illini were in a slump, if not an entire freefall, a 16-5 start slipping to a 5-5 end.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
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The likes of Bannon (at one point arguing with Iranian opposition supporters about what was best for their country) and Matt Gaetz, the former member of Congress, warned that the United States risked slipping into a forever war.—
Rob Crilly,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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While road salt is a key element to preventing cars from slipping and sliding over roads in winter, the mineral can damage cars over time.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
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The company’s debt load far exceeded its market capitalization, and its credit rating was sliding toward junk.—
Nir Eyal,
Harvard Business Review,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slinking. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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