slithering

verb

present participle of slither
as in creeping
to move slowly with the body close to the ground a snake slithering through the garden

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 slithering Since the nineteen-nineties, a Korean New Wave had been praised for embedding capitalist critique in movies packed with monsters, slithering octopuses, killers, and killer cops. — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 Officials issued the alert Monday after a man shared with police an image appearing to show the dangerous reptile slithering from the thin branch of a tree onto the roof of a backyard shed. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026 Perhaps the most striking styles in the lineup stood on curvaceous, sculptural heels resembling slithering snakes. — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026 There was unexpected wildlife – a screeching macaque and a viper slithering across a path. — Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 This is believed to be the first slithering creature seen at a football practice since Drew Rosenhaus. — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026 Here are seven solutions to keep these animals slithering past your yard. — Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 6 July 2026 There are anywhere between 100,000 and 300,000 invasive Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) currently slithering through the Florida Everglades. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 2 July 2026 On land, movements range from crawling and slithering (worms, mollusks, arthropods, snakes) to walking and running. — Literary Hub, 22 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slithering
  1. creeping
  2. crawling
  3. snaking
  4. sliding
Verb
  • Carr takes a beat to scan the field, no doubt noticing three corners in press and an extra safety creeping toward the line.
    — Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • But there was something else that was creeping into his head.
    — Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of creeping
Verb
  • Researchers have developed a paper-thin foot membrane that lets crawling microrobots harvest electricity directly from the ground beneath them, ditching heavy onboard batteries by turning metal and silicon surfaces into an active power source.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Traffic cameras showed that northbound traffic was bumper-to-bumper and crawling along I-35 before being detoured from the highway.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of crawling
Verb
  • Those facilities include long plastic silobags snaking across fields and towering metal grain elevators that are themselves increasingly vulnerable to military strikes.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
  • By Wednesday afternoon, the line for visitor passes to get on base for the ship’s homecoming stretched several hundred feet, snaking across the lawn in front of the building and doubling back on itself.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of snaking
Verb
  • With primary colors and winter gear Wondering how to avoid sliding across the sidewalk or catching a cold and still stay fashionable in extreme weather conditions?
    — Catie Pusateri, Glamour, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The rooms Every single one of the 75 rooms is ocean-facing, with floor to ceiling sliding glass doors framing the view, and leading to private terraces perched above the mangroves.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of sliding

Browse Nearby Words

slithered
slithering
slithers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slithering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slithering. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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