slither

[slith-er]

verb (used without object)

1. to slide down or along a surface, especially unsteadily, from side to side, or with some friction or noise.

   The box slithered down the chute.

2. to go or walk with a sliding motion.

   The snake slithered across the path.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to slither or slide.

noun

1. a slithering movement; slide.

slither

/ ˈslɪðə /

verb

1. to move or slide or cause to move or slide unsteadily, as on a slippery surface

2. (intr) to travel with a sliding motion

noun

1. a slithering motion

Other Word Forms

• slithery adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of slither¹

1150–1200; Middle English slitheren, variant of sliddren, Old English slid ( e ) rian, frequentative of slīdan to slide; -er ⁶

Word History and Origins

Origin of slither¹

Old English slidrian, from slīdan to _slide

Example Sentences

Early on, there’s a wedding scene when David thinks he’s fumbled it with Sarah and he stands on the sidelines of the dance floor watching her slither up to some other guy.

From Los Angeles Times

The eldest lion lifted its head to face the slithering threat.

From BBC

Here’s what one might expect from a series rooted in the “Alien” universe: dimly lit spaceship corridors, sleeping pods, computer screens, something slithering in the shadows and, of course, lots and lots of blood.

From Los Angeles Times

But he could have given himself a slither of a chance, despite the difficult position he was in by leading at the start.

From BBC

Dr Rebecca Bell, a reader in tectonics at Imperial College London, said that to accommodate all of this motion, faults - cracks in the rock - form which allow tectonic plates to "slither" sideways.

From BBC

Related Words

• crawl 
• glide 
• skid 
• slink 
• sneak 
• wriggle