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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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

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

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
What to know about launch date NASA's Artemis 2 mission has slipped by at least two months from the space agency's initial target launch date in February. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026 Scientists have unraveled a 40‑year‑old mystery at the heart of sleeping sickness, uncovering how a deadly parasite behind the life-threatening disease repeatedly slips past the human immune system and survives long enough to cause serious illness. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Noun
Rather than absorb the foul, Boozer tried to send a slip pass downcourt. —Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2026 April is your permission slip to take it. —Kirah Tabourn, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Mar. 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. sag
  8. trip
Verb
  • That’s led to a generation of kids being treated as Big Tech guinea pigs and falling student achievement scores.
    — Abby McCloskey, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
  • The follow-up Saturday just fell short of also being special.
    — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
Definition of fall
Verb
  • Hunters exploring in a remote section of the 500,000-acre Pisgah National Forest stumbled onto a body in the dark, according to investigators in western North Carolina.
    — Mark Price April 5, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2026
  • In the clip, the two actors stumble backwards into the glass before falling through and out of the frame.
    — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 4 Apr. 2026
Definition of stumble
Verb
  • When showtime arrived, Ma sneaked in a side door just as cameras started to roll.
    — Jane Bua, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Strome sneaked behind Anaheim's leaky defense and scored on a breakaway early in the second period, getting his fifth goal in 15 games since the Ducks traded him to Calgary last month.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026
Definition of sneak
Verb
  • The Churchill Suite peers over the Ministry of Defence (where Henry VIII’s wine cellar still lurks) and was the locus of military strategising.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Apr. 2026
  • There could be a catastrophic threat lurking in space right now.
    — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Definition of lurk
Verb
  • One of the gates of these islands connects to the superconducting cavity built using Josephson junctions that allow quantum currents to flow and complete a microwave circuit.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 3 Apr. 2026
  • But what was unusual was the kind of information that began to flow in from her audience.
    — Rufina Chow, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026
Definition of flow
Verb
  • One woman was paying $600 per month to live in a storage shed in the muddy backyard cluttered with junk and dotted with dog poop.
    — Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Alicia Garcia Herrero Chief Economist, Asia Pacific, Natixis Stocks listed in Europe also began their trading day firmly in negative territory, with the pan-European Stoxx 600 index shedding more than 1%.
    — Lim Hui Jie,Anniek Bao,Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026
Definition of shed
Verb
  • While lightweight sleepers may not notice much impact, heavier sleepers will likely find their mattresses sag more quickly.
    — Sharon Brandwein, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Wrinkles, sun spots and sagging skin have become so demonized, that even teenagers — decades away from this reality — and increasingly men, previously exempt from this ruinous beauty standard, have started to fear, anticipate and prepare for their arrival.
    — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
Definition of sag
Verb
  • The explosion tripped two electrical boxes not far away, Smith said, causing wires to detach from a power pole, which fell onto a minivan that became engulfed in flames.
    — Jason Rantala, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
  • The unwanted genetic material vanishes without a trace, which is what kept tripping scientists up for decades.
    — Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Definition of trip

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 7 Apr. 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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