slide

[ slahyd ]

verb (used without object)

, slid [slid], slid or slid·den [slid, -n], slid·ing.

1. to move along in continuous contact with a smooth or slippery surface:

   to slide down a snow-covered hill.

   Synonyms: slither

2. to slip or skid.
3. to glide or pass smoothly.
4. to slip easily, quietly, or unobtrusively on or as if on a track, channel, or guide rail (usually followed by in, out, away, etc.).
5. to pass or fall gradually into a specified state, character, practice, etc.
6. to decline or decrease:

   Interest rates are beginning to slide.

7. Baseball. (of a base runner) to cast oneself, usually feet first, forward along the ground in the direction of the base being approached, to present less of a target for a baseman attempting to make a tag.

verb (used with object)

, slid [slid], slid or slid·den [slid, -n], slid·ing.

1. to cause to slide, slip, or coast, as over a surface or with a smooth, gliding motion.
2. to hand, pass along, or slip (something) easily or quietly (usually followed by in, into, etc.):

   to slide a note into someone's hand.

noun

1. an act or instance of sliding.
2. a smooth surface for sliding on, especially a type of chute in a playground.
3. an object intended to slide.
4. Geology.
   1. a landslide or the like.
   2. the mass of matter sliding down.
5. a single transparency, object, or image for projection in a projector, as a lantern slide.
6. Photography. a small positive color transparency mounted for projection on a screen or magnification through a viewer.
7. a usually rectangular plate of glass on which objects are placed for microscopic examination.
8. Furniture. a shelf sliding into the body of a piece when not in use.
9. Music.
   1. an embellishment consisting of an upward or downward series of three or more tones, the last of which is the principal tone.
   2. a portamento.
   3. a U -shaped section of the tube of an instrument of the trumpet class, as the trombone, that can be pushed in or out to alter the length of the air column and change the pitch.
10. a vehicle mounted on runners, for conveying loads, as of grain or wood, especially over a level surface.
11. (of a machine or mechanism)
    1. a moving part working on a track, channel, or guide rails.
    2. the surface, track, channel, or guide rails on which the part moves.
12. any of various chutes used in logging, mining, or materials handling.
13. a flat or very low-heeled, backless shoe or slipper that can be slipped on and off the foot easily.

slide

/ slaɪd /

verb

1. to move or cause to move smoothly along a surface in continual contact with it

   doors that slide open

   children sliding on the ice

2. intr to lose grip or balance

   he slid on his back

3. intr; usually foll by into, out of, away from, etc to pass or move gradually and unobtrusively

   she slid into the room

4. intrusually foll byinto to go (into a specified condition) by degrees, unnoticeably, etc

   he slid into loose living

5. foll byin, into, etc to move (an object) unobtrusively or (of an object) to move in this way

   he slid the gun into his pocket

6. intr music to execute a portamento
7. let slide
   to allow to follow a natural course, esp one leading to deterioration

   to let things slide

noun

1. the act or an instance of sliding
2. a smooth surface, as of ice or mud, for sliding on
3. a construction incorporating an inclined smooth slope for sliding down in playgrounds, etc
4. rowing a sliding seat in a boat or its runners
5. a thin glass plate on which specimens are mounted for microscopic study
6. Also calledtransparency a positive photograph on a transparent base, mounted in a cardboard or plastic frame or between glass plates, that can be viewed by means of a slide projector
7. Also calledhair slide an ornamental clip to hold hair in place US and Canadian namebarrette
8. machinery
   1. a sliding part or member
   2. the track, guide, or channel on or in which such a part slides
9. music
   1. the sliding curved tube of a trombone that is moved in or out to allow the production of different harmonic series and a wider range of notes
   2. a portamento
10. music
    1. a metal or glass tube placed over a finger held against the frets of a guitar to produce a portamento
    2. the style of guitar playing using a slide See also bottleneck
11. geology
    1. the rapid downward movement of a large mass of earth, rocks, etc, caused by erosion, faulting, etc
    2. the mass of material involved in this descent See also landslide

slide

/ slīd /

1. A mass movement of earth, rocks, snow, or ice down a slope. Slides can be caused by an accumulation of new matter or of moisture in the overlying material, or by erosion within or below the material. They are often triggered by an earthquake or other disturbance such as an explosion.
2. The mass of material resulting from such a process.

Derived Forms

• ˈslidable, adjective
• ˈslider, noun

Other Words From

• slida·ble adjective
• slida·ble·ness noun
• outslide verb (used with object) outslid outslid or outslidden outsliding

Word History and Origins

Origin of slide¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English sliden (verb), Old English slīdan; cognate with Middle Low German slīden, Middle High German slīten; akin to sled

Word History and Origins

Origin of slide¹

Old English slīdan; related to slidor slippery, sliderian to slither , Middle High German slīten

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. let slide, to allow to deteriorate, pursue a natural course, etc., without intervention on one's part:

   to let things slide.

More idioms and phrases containing slide

see let ride (slide) ; let slip (slide) .

Synonym Study

Slide, glide, slip suggest movement over a smooth surface. Slide suggests a movement of one surface over another in contact with it: to slide downhill. Glide suggests a continuous, smooth, easy, and (usually) noiseless motion: a skater gliding over the ice. To slip is to slide in a sudden or accidental way: to slip on the ice and fall.

Example Sentences

Neither do the psychologists and political scientists who have been tracking the country’s slide toward toxic levels of partisanship.

From Los Angeles Times

The wide head and narrow oval tail create a slope for each grain, leading to spin and rolling motion when sliding down slopes.

From Science Daily

Beyond wind, rain and snow, the storm could also bring flash flooding, rock slides and debris flows as well as heavy mountain snow and blizzard conditions in areas of high elevation.

From BBC

But in 2023 neither side made any major gains - with the conflict largely sliding into a stalemate.

From BBC

But there are “bitter arguments” over crucial details, such as whether the Indian Plate continues to slide beneath Tibet or is diving downward, Klemperer says.

From Science Magazine

Related Words

• accelerate
• drift
• drive
• drop
• fall
• flow
• glide
• move
• sag
• shift
• shove
• skate
• skid
• slip
• slither
• slump
• tumble
• veer