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slip1 definition

slip (slip)

intransitive verb slipped, slipping slip′·ping

  1. to go quietly or secretly; move without attracting notice to slip out of a room
    1. to go, move, pass, etc. smoothly, quickly, or easily
    2. to get (into or out of clothes) quickly
    3. to go imperceptibly; pass unmarked time slipped by
  2. to pass gradually into or out of some condition, activity, habit, opinion, etc. to slip off to sleep
  3. to escape or pass from a person's memory, mind, power, grasp, etc. to let a chance slip by
  4. to move out of place by sliding; shift or slide from position a napkin slipping from one's lap
  5. to slide accidentally on a slippery surface, lose footing, etc.
  6. to make a mistake; fall into error; err
  7. to become worse; lose strength, ability, mental keenness, etc.
  8. to decline slightly; fall off a slipping market
  9. Aeron. sideslip

Etymology: ME slippen < MLowG, akin to OHG slifan < IE *(s)leib-, to glide, slip < base *(s)lei-, slimy: see slide

transitive verb

  1. to cause to slip or move with a smooth, sliding motion
  2. to put (on) or take (off) quickly or easily, as an article of clothing
  3. to put, pass, insert, etc. quickly, deftly, or stealthily to slip a pill into one's mouth, to slip in a cutting remark
    1. to escape or pass from (the mind or memory)
    2. Now Rare to let pass unheeded; overlook; miss
  4. to get loose or away from (a restraint, pursuer, etc.); become free of the dog slipped its leash
  5. to let loose (hounds) to pursue game
  6. to transfer (a stitch) from one needle to another without knitting it, as in forming patterns in, or decreasing the width of, a knitted piece
  7. to slink (a fetus)
  8. to put out of joint; dislocate
  9. Naut. to free an anchored ship from (the anchor) by parting or unshackling the cable

noun

    1. a pier or platform sloping into the water to serve as a landing place
    2. an inclined plane leading down to water, on which ships are built or repaired
    3. ☆ a water channel between piers or wharves, used for the docking of ships
  1. the difference between the distance moved by a vessel and the distance it would move if the propeller were advancing through a soft solid instead of mobile water; lost motion of a propeller
  2. a leash for a dog made so that it can be released quickly
    1. a woman's sleeveless undergarment the same length as a dress, usually suspended from shoulder straps
    2. a petticoat or half slip
  3. a cloth cover for a pillow
  4. an act of slipping, sliding, or falling down
  5. a deviation or turning aside, esp. from a practice, course of conduct, etc. considered right
  6. an error or mistake, esp. one made inadvertently in speaking, writing, etc.
  7. an accident or mishap
  8. the amount or degree of operative inefficiency of a mechanical device, expressed in terms of the difference between theoretical and actual output
  9. movement of one part upon another, usually where no movement is meant to exist; play
  10. Aeron. sideslip
  11. Cricket a fielder placed behind the wickets on the off side of the batter
  12. Geol.
    1. any movement displacing parts of rock or soil masses in relation to one another; small fault or landslide
    2. a smooth surface or joint where such movement has taken place
  13. Metallurgy the process by which plastic deformation is produced in metal crystals by one part of a crystal moving in relation to another, usually in a particular crystallographic plane
slip Idioms

give someone the slip

to evade or escape from someone

let slip

to say or tell without intending to

slip one over on

Informal to trick; hoodwink; cheat

slip up

to make a mistake; be in error
slip2 definition

slip (slip)

noun

  1. a stem, root, twig, etc. cut or broken off a plant and used for planting or grafting; cutting; scion
  2. a young, slim person a mere slip of a girl
  3. a long, thin piece or strip, as of cloth
  4. a small piece of paper, esp. one prepared for a specific use an order slip
  5. ☆ a narrow church pew

Etymology: ME slippe < MDu < slippen, to cut

transitive verb slipped, slipping slip′·ping

to take a slip from (a plant) for planting or grafting
slip3 definition

slip (slip)

noun

Ceramics clay thinned to the consistency of cream for use in decorating or casting, or as a cement or coating

Etymology: ME < OE slyppe, slypa, paste, slime, dropping < IE base *(s)leub-, to glide, slip > sleeve, L lubricus, slippery

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:
slip Synonyms

slip

n.

  1. Error

    lapse, misdeed, indiscretion; see error 1.

  2. Misstep

    slide, skid, stumble; see fall 1.

  3. Undergarment

    underclothing, lingerie, half-slip, chemise, camisole; see also clothes, underwear.

  4. Piece of paper

    piece, sheet, leaf; see paper 1. See syn. study at error.

give someone the slip*

get away, slip away, escape (from); see leave 1.


slip

v.

  1. To slide

    glide, shift, move; see slide 1.

  2. To err

    slip up, blunder, mistake, make a mistake.

let slip
  1. miss, fail with, slip up*; see drop 2, neglect 1, 2.

  2. tell, divulge, let out; see reveal 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

slip Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • let: The leads were good, the nasty sisters made an excellent job of their roles, in short nobody let the standard slip.

Preposition: through

  • net: Indian Theater History ), individual records will not slip through the net during a search.

Adjective modifier

  • tear-off: If so, please complete the tear-off slip on the flier.

Preposition: into

  • pocket: It is an ultra compact model that is slim enough to slip easily into a pocket or small bag.

Modifies a noun

  • cordon: A shot played uppishly and over the slip cordon ( where else?

Noun used with modifier

  • paying-in: Send them in an envelope with a completed paying-in slip.

Preposition: of

  • tongue: I half expected him to fly into an uncontrollable rage over a slip of the tongue.
slip usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

slip quotes

What's become of Waring Since he gave us all the slip?

-Browning, Robert

ExcusemewhileIslip intosomething more comfortable.

-Harlow,Jean pseudonym of  Harlean Carpentier

He was in a few hours of giving his enemies the slip for ever.

-Sterne, Laurence

slip quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"slip." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/slip>

APA Style

slip. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/slip

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