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

With Donald Trump’s reelection, the slide toward a dangerously empowered president has reached a moment of reckoning, particularly when it comes to foreign affairs and warfare.

From Salon

Although he served as legal adviser to the Department of State in the Obama administration, in his warnings about the perils posed by the slide towards unilateral presidential powers, Harold Hongju Kou concedes that the president could have done more to curtail the Bush-era enhancement of the powers of the president.

From Salon

The much-hyped new recruit, playing his first union game since his schooldays, had been on the periphery of the action in the opening stages, but left Ollie Sleightholme groping at air before flipping a pass over the top of Henry Slade for Tom Wright to slide in.

From BBC

Far too many voters drifted away or fell asleep by the second slide and concluded — reluctantly, in many cases — that given the options, smashing things sounded like a lot more fun.

From Salon

In the interim, the Dodgers’ hope is that Ohtani won’t be compromised at the plate, since the injury, which Ohtani suffered after jamming his arm into the ground on a slide into second base during the World Series, occurred to the back shoulder in his swing.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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