slithering

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 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 North Carolina is crawling, or perhaps slithering, with copperheads. Eva Flowe, Charlotte Observer, 22 June 2026 On land, movements range from crawling and slithering (worms, mollusks, arthropods, snakes) to walking and running. Literary Hub, 22 June 2026 His wife, Cheryl Hines, is heard off camera asking him to be careful with the slithering reptiles. Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 26 May 2026 But his idealized vision of a past paradise of social cohesion that late-stage capitalism destroyed doesn’t reckon with the snakes that were always there in this imaginary Eden, including a personal betrayal that’s close to home and only comes slithering out in a moment of drunken weakness. Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slithering
Verb
  • Each of its elements began, long ago, in the loamy earth, hatching and creeping or slipping, slick and squealing, from the womb of the mind.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • But when the death watch beetle starts creeping around Kylie’s boyfriend (Xolo Maridueña), an emotionally available DJ — the script’s words, not mine — the truth about her bloodline comes spilling out.
    Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Two other roaches were crawling on clean plates inside the three-compartment sink.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Just crawling on one's knees and making the right move at the right moment.
    Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The estate sprawls across 77 acres of pastoral tranquility, with trails snaking through the woods, oak trees towering over lawns, and birdsong filling the air.
    Brian Cicioni, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The Premier League trophy was kept out of the way, not shown off, apart from the blazing cover picture in the souvenir programme which ensured queues snaking through the crowd to purchase this special memento.
    Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Rodriguez ducks away from the challenge before sliding a reverse pass through for Adria Pedrosa to strike at goal.
    Thom Harris, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Faraday Future’s shares peaked with excitement about its EV plans in 2021 and have been sliding since then.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Slithering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slithering. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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