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slip.

To lose one’s traction on a slippery surface; to slide due to a lack of friction.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/ˈslɪp/[ˈslɪp]
  1. To lose one’s traction on a slippery surface; to slide due to a lack of friction.

    intransitive
  2. To err.

    intransitive
  3. To accidentally reveal a secret or otherwise say something unintentionally.

    intransitive
  4. To move or fly (out of place); to shoot; often with out, off, etc.

    intransitive
    A bone may slip out of place.
  5. To elude or evade by smooth movement.

    transitive
    I caught the thief, but he slipped my grasp and ran away.
  6. To pass (a note, money, etc.), often covertly.

    transitive
    She thanked the porter and slipped a ten-dollar bill into his hand.
  7. To cause to move smoothly and quickly; to slide; to convey gently or secretly.

    transitive
  8. To move quickly and often secretively; to depart, withdraw, enter, appear, intrude, or escape as if by sliding.

    intransitive
    Some errors slipped into the appendix.
  9. To move down; to slide.

    figuratively · intransitive
    Profits have slipped over the past six months.
  10. To release (a dog, a bird of prey, etc.) to go after a quarry.

    transitive
  11. Clipping of sideslip (“to fly with the longitudinal axis misaligned with the relative wind”).

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · intransitive
  12. To remove the skin of a soft fruit, such as a tomato or peach, by blanching briefly in boiling water, then transferring to cold water so that the skin peels, or slips, off easily.

    transitive
  13. To omit; to lose by negligence.

    obsolete
  14. To cut slips from; to cut; to take off; to make a slip or slips of.

    transitive
    to slip a piece of cloth or paper
  15. To cause to slip or slide off, or out of place.

    transitive
    A horse slips his bridle; a dog slips his collar.
  16. To bring forth (young) prematurely; to slink.

  17. To cause (a schedule or release, etc.) to go, or let it go, beyond the allotted deadline.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *slippjander. Old Saxon *slippiander. Middle Low German slippender.? Middle English slippen English slip From Middle English slippen, probably from Middle Low German slippen, from Old Saxon *slippian, from Proto-West Germanic *slippjan, from Proto-Germanic *slipjaną (“to glide”), an iterative form of *slīpaną (“to slip, slide”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleyb- (“slimy; to slide”). Possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *slewbʰ- (“slip, slide”), or related to Proto-Germanic *slībaną (“to split”); related to Old English slipor (“slippery”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian slipje (“to slip”), Dutch slippen (“to slip”), German Low German slippen.

noun/ˈslɪp/[ˈslɪp]
  1. An act or instance of slipping.

    I had a slip on the ice and bruised my hip.
  2. A woman's undergarment worn under a skirt or dress to conceal unwanted nudity that may otherwise be revealed by the skirt or dress itself; a shift.

  3. A slipdress.

  4. A mistake or error.

    a slip of the tongue
  5. A berth; a space for a ship to moor.

  6. A difference between the theoretical distance traveled per revolution of the propeller and the actual advance of the vessel.

  7. A slipway.

  8. A one-time return to previous maladaptive behavior after cure.

  9. Any of several fielding positions to the off side of the wicket keeper, designed to catch the ball after being deflected from the bat; a fielder in that position (See first slip, second slip, third slip, fourth slip and fifth slip.)

    He took a screamer at slip.
  10. A number between 0 and 1 that is the difference between the angular speed of a rotating magnetic field and the angular speed of its rotor, divided by the angular speed of the magnetic field.

  11. A leash or string by which a dog is held; so called from its being made in such a manner as to slip, or become loose, by relaxation of the hand.

  12. An escape; a secret or unexpected desertion.

    He gave the warden the slip and escaped from the prison.
  13. Clipping of sideslip.

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping
  14. A portion of the columns of a newspaper, etc., struck off by itself; a proof from a column of type when set up and in the galley.

    dated
  15. A child's pinafore.

    dated
  16. An outside covering or case.

    a pillow slip
    the slip or sheath of a sword
  17. A counterfeit piece of money, made from brass covered with silver.

    obsolete
  18. Matter found in troughs of grindstones after the grinding of edge tools.

  19. A particular quantity of yarn.

  20. A narrow passage between buildings.

    UK · dated
  21. Either side of the gallery in a theater.

  22. A long seat or narrow pew in churches, often without a door.

    US
  23. A dislocation of a lead, destroying continuity.

  24. The motion of the centre of resistance of the float of a paddle wheel, or the blade of an oar, through the water horizontally, or the difference between a vessel's actual speed and the speed it would have if the propelling instrument acted upon a solid; also, the velocity, relatively to still water, of the backward current of water produced by the propeller.

  25. The difference between the actual and synchronous speeds of an induction motor.

  26. The positional displacement in a sequence of transmitted symbols that causes the loss or insertion of one or more symbols.

  27. A fish, the sole.

  28. A newsletter produced by the setter of a cryptic clue-writing competition, containing a full list of winners and commentary on the clues.

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *slippjander. Old Saxon *slippiander. Middle Low German slippender.? Middle English slippen English slip From Middle English slippen, probably from Middle Low German slippen, from Old Saxon *slippian, from Proto-West Germanic *slippjan, from Proto-Germanic *slipjaną (“to glide”), an iterative form of *slīpaną (“to slip, slide”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleyb- (“slimy; to slide”). Possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *slewbʰ- (“slip, slide”), or related to Proto-Germanic *slībaną (“to split”); related to Old English slipor (“slippery”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian slipje (“to slip”), Dutch slippen (“to slip”), German Low German slippen.

noun/ˈslɪp/[ˈslɪp]
  1. A twig or shoot; a cutting.

    a slip from a vine
  2. A descendant, a scion.

    obsolete
  3. A young person (now usually with of introducing descriptive qualifier).

    She couldn't hurt a fly, young slip of a girl that she is.
  4. A long, thin piece of something.

  5. A small piece of paper, especially one longer than it is wide, typically a form for writing on or one giving printed information.

    a salary slip
  6. A memorandum of the particulars of a risk for which a policy is to be executed. It usually bears the broker's name and is initiated by the underwriters.

Where this word comes from

Probably from Middle Dutch slippe or Middle Low German slippe, probably ultimately related to Proto-West Germanic *slīban (“to split”).

noun/ˈslɪp/[ˈslɪp]
  1. A thin, slippery mix of clay and water.

    countable · uncountable
  2. Mud, slime.

    countable · obsolete · uncountable
Where this word comes from

From Middle English slyp, slep, slyppe, from Old English slyp, slyppe, slipa (“a viscous, slimy substance”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Proto-West Germanic *sleupan, from Proto-Germanic *sleupaną (“to slip, sneak”), possibly connected with Proto-Indo-European *slewb-, *slewbʰ- (“slip, slide”), from Proto-Indo-European *sel- (“to sneak, crawl”); or alternatively from Proto-Germanic *slippijaną (“to glide”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleyb- (“slimy; to glide”). Compare Old English slūpan (“to slip, glide”), Old English cūslyppe, cūsloppe (“cowslip”).

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Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.