slipping 1 of 2

adjective

as in collapsing

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slipping

2 of 2

verb

present participle of slip
1
as in falling
to decline gradually from a standard level the store's quality of service began to slip after the new owners took over

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2
as in stumbling
to go down from an upright position suddenly and involuntarily be careful not to slip on the spilled oil

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3
as in infiltrating
to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way casually slipped it into the conversation

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4
as in sneaking
to move about in a sly or secret manner slipped behind the cover of the trees

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5
as in flowing
to move or proceed smoothly and readily jumped into the car and slipped behind the wheel

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in shedding
to cast (a natural bodily covering or appendage) aside periodically crabs slip their shells and grow new ones

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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 slipping
Verb
The blockbuster pop release climbs on five of those six rankings, slipping only on the Official Albums Streaming tally. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 More drones and missiles are slipping through both sides’ fraying air defenses, meaning that the civilian death toll has increased, and more critical infrastructure is being damaged. — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026 That said, pulling one off takes a bit more intention than simply slipping it on. — Alyssa Rotunno, InStyle, 10 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, second-year edge rushers Elijah Ponder and Bradyn Swinson are slipping. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 10 Aug. 2026 Does the album’s narrative track someone slipping into something like a depression? — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026 David is especially marooned, a man of a certain generation in a culture that’s rapidly slipping into illegibility for him. — Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026 Stajmiger spends time in the makeup chair before slipping into Beetlejuice's signature costume, completing the transformation from actor to one of Broadway's most recognizable characters. — Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026 For Batalon, slipping back into the moment with Holland felt effortless. — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slipping
  1. declining
  2. falling
  3. stumbling
  4. infiltrating
  5. sneaking
  6. flowing
  7. shedding
  8. failing
Adjective
  • While pruning, remove any winter damage, along with dead and declining growths, to allow new shoots to reform the plant.
    — Tom MacCubbin, orlandosentinel.com, 6 Mar. 2021
  • In order to reopen, counties must demonstrate declining prevalence of COVID-19, testing ability of 30 tests per 10,000 residents per week, contact tracing and isolation facilities.
    — Fox News, Fox News, 15 May 2020
Definition of declining
Verb
  • Brokerages price crypto like an asset class, a few dozen basis points and falling.
    — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • International benchmark Brent crude surpassed $100 a barrel last month, while also falling near $70 a barrel.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of falling
Verb
  • Such a contrast to the wonderful Bootham Crescent, York’s home until 2020 and within stumbling distance of not only the famous Minster but all the city’s many other attractions.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The most underachieving team on the Los Angeles sports landscape is embarrassingly stumbling through another season.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
Definition of stumbling
Verb
  • Dozens of pages of documents describe agents secretly infiltrating meetings, monitoring activist chat groups and using license plate numbers to compile names of people who attended gatherings.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Hardware has been a tentacle of my personal style code since, infiltrating every part of my closet, home and life.
    — Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of infiltrating
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
  • Despite threats of a blockade of the Red Sea’s Bab-al-Mandeb strait from Iran’s Houthi allies, ship traffic has been flowing at a close-to-normal clip through that waterway in recent weeks.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Elsewhere is an exercise room, an art studio, and an office suite with its own entrance, as well as a primary suite boasting a walk-in closet and a luxe bath flowing out to a serene meditation garden with a hot tub.
    — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of flowing
Verb
  • The company is simplifying its joint-venture portfolio and shedding underperforming properties.
    — Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Quanta spoke with Cao about evidence for the programmed theory of aging, what happens at each stage, and why aging mammals are like trees shedding leaves.
    — Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of shedding
Adjective
  • The state graded the campus an F for three consecutive years, meaning two more failing grades could trigger an intervention.
    — Noah Alcala Bach, San Antonio Express-News, 1 Jan. 2026
Definition of failing

Browse Nearby Words

slippery
slipping
slipping (into)
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Cite this Entry

“Slipping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slipping. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on slipping

Nglish: Translation of slipping for Spanish Speakers

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