slide
B1Common in all registers, from everyday to technical.
Definition
Meaning
To move smoothly and continuously along a surface, often with a degree of friction.
A broader concept of a controlled, often unintentional, shift or movement, including a decline in standards, a period of decline, or a visual medium for presentation.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Often implies a lack of deliberate control in its intransitive form (e.g., prices slide). In its transitive form, it implies causing something to move smoothly. Also used as a noun for a playground item, a photographic transparency, a mechanism in music, geology, and baseball.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
As a playground item, US 'slide' is UK 'slide' or 'sliding board'. In baseball, a 'slide' into base is AmE. 'Slide' as a hair accessory (slide clip) is more common in UK English. The noun for a transparent picture is 'slide' in both, but 'photographic slide' is more precise.
Connotations
Largely identical. The phrase 'let it slide' (to overlook a fault) is equally common in both.
Frequency
High frequency in both variants. The noun sense for a visual aid ('PowerPoint slide') is ubiquitous globally.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[NP] slid [PP] (e.g., He slid into the room).[NP] slid [NP] [PP] (e.g., She slid the note under the door).[NP] slide [NP] (e.g., The company slides into debt).Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “let it slide”
- “slide into something”
- “slide over/around something”
- “on the slide”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to a decline in performance or prices (e.g., 'The stock market began to slide.'). Also used for presentation visuals.
Academic
Used in geology (landslide, rockslide), physics (frictionless motion), and microbiology (slide preparation).
Everyday
Playground equipment, moving on ice/slippery surfaces, minor declines (e.g., 'His grades started to slide.').
Technical
Mechanical part (trombone slide, sliding valve), microscopy (glass slide), graphic design (slide deck).
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- The children spent all afternoon on the playground slide.
- Her presentation had over fifty detailed slides.
- We found a fossil in the rock slide at the cliff base.
- She fastened her hair with a tortoiseshell slide.
American English
- The pitcher's quick slide into home plate was successful.
- Can you put the first slide up on the screen, please?
- The economic slide was worse than analysts predicted.
- He adjusted the trombone's slide.
verb
British English
- The drawer slides smoothly on its new runners.
- We watched the otter slide down the muddy bank into the river.
- The government cannot afford to let standards slide any further.
American English
- Slide the form under the door when you're finished.
- The car slid on the black ice and hit the guardrail.
- The team slid into third place after their losing streak.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The baby likes to slide down the small slide.
- Be careful not to slide on the wet floor.
- Look at the picture on this slide.
- He slid the letter quietly across the table.
- Prices have begun to slide due to the new competition.
- The teacher showed us a slide of a plant cell.
- The politician attempted to slide over the details of the controversial policy.
- After the scandal, the company's reputation slid irreversibly.
- The microscope slide contained a sample of the rare tissue.
- The country is perilously close to sliding into a full-scale recession.
- Her eloquent presentation was enhanced by her minimalist yet powerful slides.
- The violinist executed the portamento with a gentle slide between the two notes.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a SLIDE at the park - you SLIde Down Easily.
Conceptual Metaphor
CHANGE IS MOTION (to slide into depression), NEGATIVE CHANGE IS DOWNWARD MOTION (a slide in morale), TIME IS A LANDSCAPE (the years slid by).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate 'slide' as 'скользить' for the noun meaning (it's 'горка' for playground, 'слайд' for presentation).
- 'Let it slide' means 'закрыть на это глаза', not 'пусть это скользит'.
- In hockey, a 'sliding save' is often 'бросок в падении', not a direct cognate.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'He slided the book to me.' Correct: 'He slid the book to me.' (slide/slid/slid)
- Incorrect: 'She went on the sliding.' Correct: 'She went on the slide.' (using verb form for noun).
Practice
Quiz
In the context of overlooking a minor mistake, which phrase is correct?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is a common learner error. The correct past simple and past participle form is 'slid' (e.g., Yesterday he slid into second base. He has slid down before).
'Slide' implies continuous, often controlled, contact with a surface. 'Slip' suggests an accidental, brief loss of traction, often resulting in a fall. 'Glide' suggests smooth, effortless, often frictionless motion, like a bird or plane.
Yes, though less common. It can imply smooth, elegant movement (e.g., 'She slid gracefully across the dance floor') or seamless transition (e.g., 'The software update allows users to slide between applications').
It's an idiomatic phrase meaning 'in a state of decline or deterioration' (e.g., 'His career has been on the slide since the injury').