slipping

Verb

slip (third-person singular simple present slips, present participle slipping, simple past and past participle slipped or (obsolete) slipt)

1. (intransitive) To lose one’s traction on a slippery surface; to slide due to a lack of friction.
   • [...] but in the damp conditions prevailing the driver sensibly was unwilling to attempt the climb up through Combe Down tunnel without help, for fear of slipping to a standstill in the unventilated bore, […]1960 March, “Motive Power Miscellany: Western Region”, in Trains Illustrated, page 184
2. (intransitive) To err.
   • There is one that slippeth in his speach, but not from his heart, and who is he that hath not offended with his tongue?1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ecclesiasticus 19:16
3. (intransitive) To accidentally reveal a secret or otherwise say something unintentionally.
   • She kept engaging with the caller, though, hoping he would slip and reveal her daughter’s location.2026 July 29, Nicholas Muhoro, “Amy Billig Vanished While Hitchhiking Through Coconut Grove. Then the Calls Began”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 31 Jul 2026
4. (intransitive) To move or fly (out of place); to shoot; often with out, off, etc.
   • A bone may slip out of place.
5. (transitive) To elude or evade by smooth movement.
   • I caught the thief, but he slipped my grasp and ran away.
6. (transitive) To pass (a note, money, etc.), often covertly.
   • She thanked the porter and slipped a ten-dollar bill into his hand.

See all 51 meanings of slip