sliding

verb

present participle of slide
1
as in sneaking
to move about in a sly or secret manner slid gently into his seat without anyone else in church noticing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in flowing
to move or proceed smoothly and readily at this point the river slides along its banks with barely a ripple

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in crawling
to move slowly with the body close to the ground the convict escaped by sliding through the prison's ductwork

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of sliding These guys might do much of the unglamorous work that goes unnoticed, breaking up play, playing short passes and sliding across into position to snuff out counter-attacks, but their role is highly valued in the transfer market. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026 An Intensity Slider – a simple sliding bar adjustment for controlling the depth, vibrancy, brightness and contrast of the TV’s pictures to compensate for viewing angles, onscreen reflections and simply different viewing tastes. — John Archer, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Originally housing offices, its heyday in Detroit’s industrial age was brief, sliding into decline in the 1960s and ultimately going vacant. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 July 2026 In the meantime, relatively strong iPhone and Mac sales in this quarter didn’t stop Apple’s stock value from sliding around eight percent in after-hours trading. — Samuel Axon, ArsTechnica, 30 July 2026 Stocks were volatile during trading, and the S&P and Nasdaq briefly turned higher during Warsh’s press conference before sliding into the closing bell. — Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 29 July 2026 Hydroplaning is the term for when a vehicle begins sliding uncontrollably on wet roads. — Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026 Hydroplaning happens when a vehicle starts sliding uncontrollably on wet roads. — Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026 Hydroplaning is when a vehicle starts uncontrollably sliding on wet roads. — Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 11 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sliding
  1. sneaking
  2. flowing
  3. crawling
  4. lurking
  5. gliding
  6. creeping
  7. slipping
  8. drifting
Verb
  • In addition to dark transits, another tactic for sneaking oil supplies through the strait is ship-to-ship transfers, a practice Iran and Russia have previously used to get their oil tankers past Western sanctions.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The fact that each tally mark was a dollar in the band’s pocket, and that sneaking in was essentially stealing money from them, also didn’t faze us.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of sneaking
Verb
  • Notwithstanding Tehran’s influence, as many as 15 million barrels of oil are flowing out the Gulf each day on average, including via the strait and through pipelines, according to US Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The floods also altered the course of the White River, which is now flowing into the Martin Marietta quarry at 96th Street and Gray Road, which can hold millions of gallons of water.
    — John Tufts, IndyStar, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of flowing
Verb
  • Nidhi imagined the baby crawling around in her mother’s body, desperately seeking the uterus, and, failing to find it in its proper place, quietly shrivelling up and dying.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
  • That happened in New York City in 2018, when at least a half dozen city buses were taken out of service after reports of bedbugs crawling on seats.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of crawling
Verb
  • The par-3 sixth hole and the long par-3 16th hole will be key to watch, with big numbers lurking.
    — Dennis Esser, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Oil prices are once again uncomfortably high, but the bigger problem is lurking just beneath the surface.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of lurking
Verb
  • In the videos, shot by drone by Joanna Steidle, the creatures can be seen gliding just beneath the water’s surface like hundreds of raviolis floating in aquamarine broth.
    — Sanidhya Sharma, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Video from his dash camera shows the aircraft gliding under a highway sign, missing it by mere feet, before touching down in the empty lanes.
    — Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of gliding
Verb
  • But when prices on everything from gas to groceries are steadily creeping upward, sticking to your plans for spending can feel like a losing battle.
    — Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 17 Aug. 2026
  • On Widow’s Bay, a show currently decorated with 19 Emmy nominations, the line between cozy New England charm and creeping dread is often found in the details.
    — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of creeping
Verb
  • Vaccination rates have been slipping since the 2019–2020 school year, when the US had obtained rates of around 95 percent, the threshold needed to keep outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases from spreading in communities.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 17 Aug. 2026
  • By the time a slipping receivable or a bloated inventory line shows up in that review, weeks of cash have already been lost.
    — Nick Chandi, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of slipping
Verb
  • If the object is drifting through the field of view from left to right, place it on the far left to keep it in view for as long as possible.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • And Chiles is the most versatile — capable of drifting between edge rusher and a coverage aide.
    — Noah White, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of drifting

Browse Nearby Words

slides
sliding
slight
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sliding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sliding. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on sliding

Nglish: Translation of sliding for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of divulge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All