slithering

Definition of slitheringnext
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 As Seth seethes about his separation from his home country (and the family fortune), Arias interweaves a backstory involving assassination, undisclosed parentage and (as the title suggests) the perilous creatures slithering across the landscape. Michael Schaub, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026 Boan points out turtles, frogs and small snakes slithering off to the side. Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026 Before each take, creator and showrunner Sam Levinson would make a hand gesture like a slithering snake — Akinnuoye-Agbaje demonstrates it — to evoke the energy Alamo should have. Molly Lambert, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2026 Invasive Asian swamp eels are slithering into the canals of South Florida – and the University of Florida wants the public's help to track them. Sarah Perkel, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026 Jason Magee was walking a popular trail in Mission Viejo when a familiar sight caught the corner of his eye — a rattlesnake slithering in the nearby bushes, dangerously close to a skatepark, playground and a dog park. Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026 Still, being naturally snake-free doesn’t mean there isn’t a single snake slithering around Ireland. K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026 Student Christina Chang says that being mindful of the snakes slithering around keeps her grounded in the practice. Deena Prichep, NPR, 11 Mar. 2026 None were more notable than Biel’s 68th-minute goal off a slithering cross from Liel Abada, and then Biel’s stoppage-time goal to seal it. Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slithering
Verb
  • Audiences have championed the films for their creeping realism and slow-building scares that made ordinary bedrooms, hallways and home security cameras feel terrifying.
    Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
  • This low-mounding shade perennial sends up taller, slender stems with airy flower clusters, and the groundcover spreads by slowly creeping rhizomes.
    Judy Nauseef, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 May 2026
Verb
  • Police said the driver was eventually able to escape by crawling out a window.
    Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 13 May 2026
  • Staff started out by wearing bear masks and animal furs, then crawling into the enclosure to spoon-feed the cubs formula.
    Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Verb
  • Budget-conscious passengers, many of them young, formed a seemingly endless security line snaking around the rotunda, which features a twelve-foot-high mural depicting the history of flight.
    John Cassidy, New Yorker, 11 May 2026
  • Maggie and John joined the unusually eager attendees and stood at the end of a long, snaking line that brought them to the edge of Tenth Avenue.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 May 2026
Verb
  • Three minutes and 22 seconds into the first period, Frost defender Sidney Morin got an open pass from captain Kendall Coyne Schofield just to the right of Montreal’s goal, sliding it just behind Ann-Renée Desbiens.
    Theodore Tollefson, Twin Cities, 8 May 2026
  • After Kevin McGonigle led off with a lineout – another smooth-as-silk sliding catch by Abreu – the righty issued back-to-back walks to Matt Vierling and Keith.
    Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 7 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Slithering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slithering. Accessed 15 May. 2026.

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