slipper

1 of 2

adjective

slip·​per ˈsli-pər How to pronounce slipper (audio)
chiefly dialectal
: slippery

slipper

2 of 2

noun

: a light low-cut shoe that is easily slipped on the foot
slippered
ˈsli-pərd How to pronounce slipper (audio)
adjective

Examples of slipper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
But instead of employing a ball gown, glass slippers, and a grand carriage made from a pumpkin, the renegade maid comes to her damsel in distress armed with a different kind of escape plan—one involving an axe and a double parricide. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 4 Aug. 2026 Made for heading out or winding down, this slim-fit jacket and cropped jogger combo pairs just as well with sneakers for sightseeing as with slippers back at the hotel. — Paris Wilson, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2026 The harvest or possession of egg-bearing spiny lobster, or any other egg-bearing species of lobster belonging to the families Palinuridae (spiny lobsters), Scyllaridae (slipper lobsters) or Synaxidae (furry lobsters) is prohibited. — Sarah Perkel, USA Today, 29 July 2026 One of his favorite experiences was at Melote House in South Africa, where his children received hats, gloves, fleeces, slippers, and water bottles, all branded with the property’s logo and personalized with their names. — Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for slipper

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English slipir, sliper "causing something to slide or slip, deceitful," going back to Old English slipor, sliper, going back to Germanic *slip-ra- (whence also Old High German sleffar "sloping downward"), adjective derivative from the base of Germanic *sleipan- (strong verb) "to slide, slip" (whence Middle Dutch slīpen "to smooth, polish, sharpen," Middle Low German, "to glide, sink, slip," Old High German slīfan "to slide, pass away, decline"), of uncertain origin

Note: The adjective slipper has been effectively replaced by its derivative slippery, though the former was in existence in dialect late enough to be noticed by the Survey of English Dialects, which recorded it in Devon and Cornwall (see Survey of English Dialects: The Dictionary and Grammar, Routledge, 1994, s.v.). — The Germanic verb has been compared with Greek olibrón, glossed by Hesychius with olisthērón "slippery," though the assumption of an Indo-European etymon *h3slib-ro-, with both *b and a laryngeal preceding a sibilant, seems questionable. Parallel to *sleipan- is a verb *sleupan- "to creep, glide," which has been explained as a secondary formation based on near-synonymous *sleuban- (see slip entry 5, sleeve). As all these bases are ultimately of phonesthemic origin and can presumably be reshaped by variation of phonesthemic origin, it is difficult to disentangle inheritance from innovation. Compare slip entry 1.

Noun

Middle English slypper, from slippen "to slip entry 1" + -er -er entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of slipper was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing slipper

Rhymes for slipper

See All Rhymes for slipper

Browse Nearby Words

slipped wing
slipper
slipper animalcule
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Cite this Entry

“Slipper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slipper. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

slipper

noun
slip·​per
ˈslip-ər
: a light low shoe without laces that is easily slipped on or off
slippered
-ərd
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on slipper

Nglish: Translation of slipper for Spanish Speakers

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