slip 1 of 3

verb

ˈslip How to pronounce slip (audio)
Definition of slipnext
1
as in to fall
to decline gradually from a standard level the store's quality of service began to slip after the new owners took over

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stumble
to go down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily be careful not to slip on the spilled oil

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to sneak
to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way casually slipped it into the conversation

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4
as in to lurk
to move about in a sly or secret manner slipped behind the cover of the trees

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5
as in to flow
to move or proceed smoothly and readily jumped into the car and slipped behind the wheel

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to shed
to cast (a natural bodily covering or appendage) aside periodically crabs slip their shells and grow new ones

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slip

2 of 3

noun (1)

as in strip
a long narrow piece of material baskets woven from slips of wicker

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slip

3 of 3

noun (2)

1
as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy a careless slip of the tongue

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fall
the act of going down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily had a nasty slip on the ice

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3
as in escape
the act or an instance of getting free from danger or confinement gave her pursuers the slip

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in trip
a wrong judgment that's not the sort of slip that a prudent person would have made

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun slip differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of slip are blunder, error, lapse, and mistake. While all these words mean "a departure from what is true, right, or proper," slip stresses inadvertence or accident and applies especially to trivial but embarrassing mistakes.

a slip of the tongue

When is it sensible to use blunder instead of slip?

The meanings of blunder and slip largely overlap; however, blunder regularly imputes stupidity or ignorance as a cause and connotes some degree of blame.

diplomatic blunders

When is error a more appropriate choice than slip?

In some situations, the words error and slip are roughly equivalent. However, error suggests the existence of a standard or guide and a straying from the right course through failure to make effective use of this.

procedural errors

When would lapse be a good substitute for slip?

The synonyms lapse and slip are sometimes interchangeable, but lapse stresses forgetfulness, weakness, or inattention as a cause.

a lapse in judgment

When can mistake be used instead of slip?

The words mistake and slip are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, mistake implies misconception or inadvertence and usually expresses less criticism than error.

dialed the wrong number by mistake

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 slip
Verb
The extra sticky top layer helps to keep your hands and feet from slipping during tricky yoga poses. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 14 July 2026 The only major criticism that slipped through was from outlets and figures linked to the governments. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 14 July 2026
Noun
And while that may sound like little more than a comic blunder, these slips offer one of the clearest windows into how language is assembled in the mind. — Karen Stollznow, The Conversation, 14 July 2026 Pajama sets, nightgowns and slips are all hung on delicate curving racks in the center of the room. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 13 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for slip
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slip
  1. fall
  2. stumble
  3. sneak
  4. lurk
  5. flow
  6. shed
  7. strip
  8. mistake
Verb
  • Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026
  • Micron Technology sank 8%, Intel lost more than 4%, while Lam Research and Advanced Micro Devices each fell about 3%.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 16 July 2026
Definition of fall
Verb
  • The huge animals knocked bodies to the cobblestones, and stumbling runners caused several pileups during the two-and-a-half-minute run from the pen to the bull ring where bullfighters will kill the bulls later in the day.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
  • The huge animals knocked down bodies to the cobblestones, and stumbling runners caused several pileups during the 2½-minute run from the pen to the bullring where bullfighters would kill the bulls later in the day.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
Definition of stumble
Verb
  • With that, though, will come more possession and more opportunities for France to sneak a goal in at some point.
    — Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 July 2026
  • Argentina will be heavy favorite against a Switzerland team that reached the quarterfinals after narrowly sneaking past Colombia in a penalty shootout last time out.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Definition of sneak
Verb
  • Helen and Daniel also spend some time lurking on the dark web, looking for an audio recording of the final minutes before Charlotte crashed.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 17 July 2026
  • Beneath all the splendor, the couture, the balls, and the opera lurked an undercurrent of hatred, one that would fester and erupt in ways both insidious and catastrophic.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
Definition of lurk
Verb
  • England fans are flooding to Miami, with over 30,000 expected for the game as stories of last-minute trips via here, there and everywhere flow as freely as the drinks.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 12 July 2026
  • There is an ethos in the tech industry that talent and information should be able to flow freely and that execution is what ultimately wins.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 11 July 2026
Definition of flow
Verb
  • And that’s a lot of energy to shed as a vehicle comes blaring back into Earth’s thick atmosphere, a process that typically annihilates objects returning from space unless they are precisely designed to survive the trip.
    — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
  • These factors, coupled with a vast engineering and AI talent pool, could help India shed its reputation as an AI laggard, experts said, but cautioned that these are still early days in that journey.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 16 July 2026
Definition of shed
Noun
  • The handle comes with one original Athena Club cartridge, which has a skin guard to prevent nicks and a hyaluronic acid serum strip.
    — Sara Coughlin, Allure, 5 July 2026
  • The strips are piled high in plastic bins, sprawled over tables and fed underneath bobbing needles.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Definition of strip
Noun
  • Avoiding these debt relief mistakes can help keep costs under control and improve your chances of a successful outcome.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 13 July 2026
  • This was deliberate and not a fashion or ordered-the-wrong-size-on-Amazon mistake.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 12 July 2026
Definition of mistake

Phrases Containing slip

Browse Nearby Words

slinks
slip
slip (into)
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Cite this Entry

“Slip.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slip. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on slip

Nglish: Translation of slip for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about slip

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