verb | noun
slipslip1 /slɪp/ ●●● S2 W2 verb (slipped, slipping) 1
SLIDE AND FALL [intransitive] to slide a short distance accidentally, and fall or lose your balance slightly: He slipped and fell.slip on Brenda slipped on the icy sidewalk.► see thesaurus at fall12PUT something SOMEWHERE [transitive] to put something somewhere or give someone something quietly, secretly, or smoothly, especially by sliding it: slip something around/into/through etc. Someone slipped a note under my door. Ann slipped the book into her bag.slip somebody something Dave slipped me $20 when Jerry wasn’t looking.► see thesaurus at put3MOVE SECRETLY/SMOOTHLY [intransitive always + adv./prep.] to move somewhere quickly, smoothly, or secretly: slip out/through/by etc. She slipped out without saying goodbye. They slipped past the sleeping guard.slip down/into The sun slipped slowly down behind the mountains.4FALL/DROP [intransitive] to become loose and fall off or from something in a sliding movement: slip off/down/from etc. Her bag slipped off her shoulder.5NOT HOLD [intransitive] if something slips, it fails to stay firmly on a surface or on the thing it is holding, and slides across the surface or thing: The knife slipped and cut my finger. → see also slippage6GET WORSE [intransitive] to become worse or lower than before: Standards have slipped in many parts of the industry.slip from/to The team slipped from second place to fourth. Pre-tax profits slipped 13% to $247 million. → see also slippage7slip through the cracks someone or something that slips through the cracks is not caught or helped by the system that is supposed to help: Some kids slip through the cracks of the educational system.8slip your mind if something slips your mind, you forget it or forget to do something, especially because you are too busy: I meant to call you, but it completely slipped my mind.9be slipping if a person is slipping, he or she is starting to make mistakes, or to become less efficient than before10slip through your fingers/hands if something such as an opportunity, offer, etc. slips through your fingers, you just fail to get or keep it: Don’t let a chance like that slip through your fingers!11slip one over on somebody informal to deceive someone or play a trick on him or her SYN put one over on somebody12let something slip to accidentally mention a piece of information that you had wanted to keep a secret: He let it slip that they were planning to get married.13slip a disk to suffer an injury when one of the connecting parts between the bones in your back moves out of place → see also slipped disk14BECOME LATE if a schedule (=plan of times when things are supposed to happen) slips, things begin to happen or be done later than they are supposed to: Schedules slipped and costs rose. → see also slippage15GET FREE [transitive] to get free from something that is holding you: The dog slipped his collar and ran away.slip away phrasal verb1if something such as an opportunity or someone’s power slips away, it gradually disappears or is lost: Somehow victory had slipped away.2to die peacefully3if time slips away, it passes without your realizing how quickly it is passingslip by phrasal verb1if an opportunity slips by, someone does not take advantage of it: He had somehow let the opportunity slip by.2if time slips by, it passes without your realizing how quickly it is passing: The years just seem to slip by.slip something ↔ in phrasal verb to use a word or say something without attracting too much attention: He slipped in a few jokes to liven the speech up.slip into something phrasal verb1to put clothes on quickly: I’ll just slip into something more comfortable.2to start being in a particular condition without intending to do this or often realizing what is happening: He had begun to slip into debt. Myrtle slipped into a coma.slip something ↔ off phrasal verb to take clothes off quickly: Greg sat down and slipped his shoes off.slip something ↔ on phrasal verb to put clothes on quickly: Amanda slipped on her robe.slip out phrasal verb if something slips out, you say it without really intending to: Occasionally, a sarcastic comment slipped out.slip out of something phrasal verb to take clothes off quickly: Keith slipped out of his jacket.slip up phrasal verb to make a mistake: He does occasionally slip up and forget his medication.slip up on He slipped up on just one detail.[Origin: 1200–1300 Middle Dutch, Middle Low German slippen] → see also slip-up verb | noun
slipslip2 ●●○ noun 1PAPER [countable] a small or narrow piece of paper: a credit-card slipslip of She wrote the address on a slip of paper. → see also pink slip2MISTAKE [countable] a small mistake: She didn’t make a single slip.► see thesaurus at mistake13a slip of the tongue/pen something that you say or write by accident, when you meant to say or write something else: His comment was clearly a slip of the tongue. → see also Freudian slip4UNDERWEAR [countable] a piece of underwear similar to a thin dress or skirt, that a woman wears under a dress or skirt5GETTING WORSE/LOWER [countable usually singular] an occasion when something becomes worse or lower than before: slip in a slip in stock prices6SLIDE/FALL [countable] an act of sliding a short distance, or of falling by sliding7give somebody the slip to successfully escape from someone who is chasing you: Eddie gave her the slip in the hotel lobby.8a slip of a girl/boy/thing old-fashioned humorous a small thin young person9BOAT [countable] a space in the water in which you can keep a boat when it is not being used10CLAY [uncountable] a thin mixture of clay and water, used in making pots11PLANT a small part of a plant that has been cut off and put into soil or water to grow into a new plant, or that has been attached to another plant