slip Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a socially awkward or tactless act
    gaffe; gaucherie; solecism; faux pas.
  2. noun a minor inadvertent mistake usually observed in speech or writing or in small accidents or memory lapses etc.
    parapraxis; slip-up; miscue.
  3. noun potter's clay that is thinned and used for coating or decorating ceramics
  4. noun a part (sometimes a root or leaf or bud) removed from a plant to propagate a new plant through rooting or grafting
    cutting.
  5. noun a young and slender person
    • he's a mere slip of a lad
  6. noun a place where a craft can be made fast
    berth; moorage; mooring.
  7. noun an accidental misstep threatening (or causing) a fall
    trip.
    • he blamed his slip on the ice
    • the jolt caused many slips and a few spills
  8. noun a slippery smoothness
    slickness; slipperiness; slick.
    • he could feel the slickness of the tiller
  9. noun artifact consisting of a narrow flat piece of material
    strip.
  10. noun a small sheet of paper
    slip of paper.
    • a receipt slip
  11. noun a woman's sleeveless undergarment
    shift; shimmy; teddy; chemise.
  12. noun bed linen consisting of a cover for a pillow
    case; pillowcase; pillow slip.
    • the burglar carried his loot in a pillowcase
  13. noun an unexpected slide
    skid; sideslip.
  14. noun a flight maneuver; aircraft slides sideways in the air
    sideslip.
  15. noun the act of avoiding capture (especially by cunning)
    elusion; eluding.
  16. verb move stealthily
    steal.
    • The ship slipped away in the darkness
  17. verb insert inconspicuously or quickly or quietly
    • He slipped some money into the waiter's hand
  18. verb move obliquely or sideways, usually in an uncontrolled manner
    slew; slide; skid; slue.
    • the wheels skidded against the sidewalk
  19. verb get worse
    drop off; drop away; fall away.
    • My grades are slipping
  20. verb move smoothly and easily
    • the bolt slipped into place
    • water slipped from the polished marble
  21. verb to make a mistake or be incorrect
    err; mistake.
  22. verb pass on stealthily
    sneak.
    • He slipped me the key when nobody was looking
  23. verb move easily
    • slip into something comfortable
  24. verb cause to move with a smooth or sliding motion
    • he slipped the bolt into place
  25. verb pass out of one's memory
    slip one's mind.
  26. verb move out of position
    splay; dislocate; luxate.
    • dislocate joints
    • the artificial hip joint luxated and had to be put back surgically

WordNet

Slip intransitive verb
Etymology
OE. slippen; akin to LG. & D. slippen, MHG. slipfen (cf. Dan. slippe, Sw. slippa, Icel. sleppa), and fr. OE. slipen, AS. slipan (in comp.), akin to G. schleifen to slide, glide, drag, whet, OHG. slifan to slide, glide, make smooth, Icel. slipa to whet; cf. also AS. slpan, Goth. sliupan, OS. slopian, OHG. sliofan, G. schliefen, schlpfen, which seem to come from a somewhat different root form. Cf. Slope, n.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Slipped ; present participle & verbal noun Slipping
Definitions
  1. To move along the surface of a thing without bounding, rolling, or stepping; to slide; to glide.
  2. To slide; to lose one's footing or one's hold; not to tread firmly; as, it is necessary to walk carefully lest the foot should slip.
  3. To move or fly (out of place); to shoot; -- often with out, off, etc.; as, a bone may slip out of its place.
  4. To depart, withdraw, enter, appear, intrude, or escape as if by sliding; to go or come in a quiet, furtive manner; as, some errors slipped into the work.
    Thus one tradesman slips away, To give his partner fairer play. Prior.
    Thrice the flitting shadow slipped away. Dryden.
  5. To err; to fall into error or fault.
    There is one that slippeth in his speech, but not from his heart. Ecclus. xix. 16.
    Cry, "Havoc," and let slip the dogs of war. Shak.
Slip transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To cause to move smoothly and quickly; to slide; to convey gently or secretly.
    He tried to slip a powder into her drink. Arbuthnot.
  2. To omit; to loose by negligence.
    And slip no advantage That my secure you. B. Jonson.
  3. To cut slips from; to cut; to take off; to make a slip or slips of; as, to slip a piece of cloth or paper.
    The branches also may be slipped and planted. Mortimer.
  4. To let loose in pursuit of game, as a greyhound.
    Lucento slipped me like his greyhound. Shak.
  5. To cause to slip or slide off, or out of place; as, a horse slips his bridle; a dog slips his collar.
  6. To bring forth (young) prematurely; to slink.
Slip noun
Etymology
AS. slipe, slip.
Definitions
  1. The act of slipping; as, a slip on the ice.
  2. An unintentional error or fault; a false step.
    This good man's slip mended his pace to martyrdom. Fuller.
  3. A twig separated from the main stock; a cutting; a scion; hence, a descendant; as, a slip from a vine.
    A native slip to us from foreign seeds. Shak.
    The girlish slip of a Sicilian bride. R. Browning.
  4. A slender piece; a strip; as, a slip of paper.
    Moonlit slips of silver cloud. Tennyson.
    A thin slip of a girl, like a new moon Sure to be rounded into beauty soon. Longfellow.
  5. A leash or string by which a dog is held; -- so called from its being made in such a manner as to slip, or become loose, by relaxation of the hand.
    We stalked over the extensive plains with Killbuck and Lena in the slips, in search of deer. Sir S. Baker.
  6. An escape; a secret or unexpected desertion; as, to give one the slip. Shak.
  7. (Print.) A portion of the columns of a newspaper or other work struck off by itself; a proof from a column of type when set up and in the galley.
  8. Any covering easily slipped on. Specifically: (a) A loose garment worn by a woman. (b) A child's pinafore. (c) An outside covering or case; as, a pillow slip. (d) The slip or sheath of a sword, and the like. R.
  9. A counterfeit piece of money, being brass covered with silver. Obs. Shak
  10. Matter found in troughs of grindstones after the grinding of edge tools. Prov. Eng. Sir W. Petty.
  11. Potter's clay in a very liquid state, used for the decoration of ceramic ware, and also as a cement for handless and other applied parts.
  12. A particular quantity of yarn. Prov. Eng.
  13. An inclined plane on which a vessel is built, or upon which it is hauled for repair.
  14. An opening or space for vessels to lie in, between wharves or in a dock; as, Peck slip. U. S.
  15. A narrow passage between buildings. Eng.
  16. A long seat or narrow pew in churches, often without a door. U. S.
  17. (Mining.) A dislocation of a lead, destroying continuity. Knight.
  18. (Engin.) The motion of the center of resistance of the float of a paddle wheel, or the blade of an oar, through the water horozontally, or the difference between a vessel's actual speed and the speed which she would have if the propelling instrument acted upon a solid; also, the velocity, relatively to still water, of the backward current of water produced by the propeller.
  19. (Zoöl.) A fish, the sole.
  20. (Cricket) A fielder stationed on the off side and to the rear of the batsman. There are usually two of them, called respectively short slip, and long slip. 21. A slip dock (see below)

Webster 1913