ooze

¹

[ ooz ]

verb (used without object)

, oozed, ooz·ing.

1. (of moisture, liquid, etc.) to flow, percolate, or exude slowly, as through holes or small openings.
2. to move or pass slowly or gradually, as if through a small opening or passage:

   The crowd oozed toward the entrance.

3. (of a substance) to exude moisture.
4. (of something abstract, as information or courage) to appear or disappear slowly or imperceptibly (often followed by out or away ):

   His cockiness oozed away during my rebuttal speech.

5. to display some characteristic or quality:

   to ooze with piety.

verb (used with object)

, oozed, ooz·ing.

1. to make by oozing.
2. to exude (moisture, air, etc.) slowly.
3. to display or dispense freely and conspicuously:

   He can ooze charm when it serves his interest.

noun

1. the act of oozing.
2. something that oozes.

   Synonyms: sludge, muck, mud, mire, slime

3. an infusion of oak bark, sumac, etc., used in tanning.

ooze

²

[ ooz ]

noun

1. Geology. a calcareous or siliceous mud composed chiefly of the shells of one-celled organisms, covering parts of the ocean bottom.
2. soft mud, or slime.
3. a marsh or bog.

ooze

¹

/ uːz /

verb

1. intr to flow or leak out slowly, as through pores or very small holes
2. to exude or emit (moisture, gas, etc)
3. tr to overflow with

   to ooze charm

4. introften foll byaway to disappear or escape gradually

noun

1. a slow flowing or leaking
2. an infusion of vegetable matter, such as sumach or oak bark, used in tanning

ooze

²

/ uːz /

noun

1. a soft thin mud found at the bottom of lakes and rivers
2. a fine-grained calcareous or siliceous marine deposit consisting of the hard parts of planktonic organisms
3. muddy ground, esp of bogs

Word History and Origins

Origin of ooze¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English noun wose, woze, Old English wōs “juice, moisture”; verb derivative of the noun

Origin of ooze²

First recorded before 900; Middle English wose, woze, Old English wāse “mud, slime”

Word History and Origins

Origin of ooze¹

Old English wōs juice

Origin of ooze²

Old English wāse mud; related to Old French wāse, Old Norse veisa

Example Sentences

The actor leverages his physical comedy to ooze smoothness, grinding in his chair to show off how much Bad Bunny loves the club.

From Salon

He is oozing confidence, he has said 'give the ball to me and I’ll show you how it is done'.

From BBC

They show oozing sores between the toes of dogs who live on grated flooring.

From Los Angeles Times

Draper oozes assurance without any hint of arrogance.

From BBC

I see an accomplished power player in midlife at the peak of a highly successful TV writing career, self-satisfied and oozing with agency.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bleed
• drain
• dribble
• exude
• leak
• percolate
• seep
• trickle