slide

verb · noun

Simple meaning

Move smoothly along a surface.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

slyd

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈslaɪd

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

ergative
Move smoothly along a surface
ergative
To (cause to) move in continuous contact with a surface.
intransitive
To move on a low-friction surface.
intransitivebaseball
To drop down and skid into a base.
intransitive
To lose one's balance on a slippery surface.
transitive
To pass or put imperceptibly; to slip.

noun

Plaything consisting of a sloping chute down which children can slide
An item of play equipment that children can climb up and then slide down again.
A surface of ice, snow, butter, etc. on which someone can slide for amusement or as a practical joke.
An inclined plane on which heavy bodies slide by the force of gravity, especially one constructed on a mountainside for conveying logs by sliding them down.
A mechanism, or portion of one, consisting of a part which slides on or against a guide.
The falling of large amounts of rubble, earth and stones down the slope of a hill or mountain; avalanche.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: B1 · Intermediate
Frequency: Common
Typical Use: Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Move smoothly along a surface

Used this way, slide is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: No strong connotation
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

slide rulemicroscope slideslide valveslide showsglass slideslide back

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

glide
Move smoothly and effortlessly.
slither
To move about smoothly and from side to side.
swoop
Move down on as if in an attack.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

slidernounInflected form
A person who slips or slides because of loss of traction.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

slide byverbCompound term
Pass by.
slide chartnounCompound term
A hand-held device, usually of paper, cardboard, or plastic, for conducting simple calculations or looking up information.
slide downverbCompound term
Fall or sink heavily.
slide fastenernounCompound term
A fastener for locking together two toothed edges by means of a sliding tab.
slide projectornounCompound term
Projector that projects an enlarged image of a slide onto a screen.
slide rulenounCompound term
Analog computer consisting of a handheld instrument used for rapid calculations.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: move smoothly along a surface

slipglideslither

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.