SLIDING Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

sliding

verb

present participle of slide

as in sneaking

to move about in a sly or secret manner slid gently into his seat without anyone else in church noticing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in flowing

to move or proceed smoothly and readily at this point the river slides along its banks with barely a ripple

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in crawling

to move slowly with the body close to the ground the convict escaped by sliding through the prison's ductwork

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 sliding With primary colors and winter gear Wondering how to avoid sliding across the sidewalk or catching a cold and still stay fashionable in extreme weather conditions? — Catie Pusateri, Glamour, 12 Oct. 2026 The rooms Every single one of the 75 rooms is ocean-facing, with floor to ceiling sliding glass doors framing the view, and leading to private terraces perched above the mangroves. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026 These twin trends—an aging Leninist system sliding toward one-man rule and mounting political inertia in the face of anything that might trigger social unrest—have eroded China’s governance capacity. — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026 Put the adhesive side of the film onto the wet glass, sliding it into place. — Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 28 Sep. 2026 Perhaps this is why beloved ‘90s nostalgia brands like McQueen and Calvin Klein (both with sliding revenues) aren’t resonating as well. — Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026 Giants safety Jevon Holland made a sliding grab near the Cowboys sideline. — Jon MacHota, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 Becoming a YouTuber had seemed like a way for Chism to stop sliding toward destitution. — Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026 Sneakers and socks sliding across the floor, heels lifting and landing in time with the music. — Erica Rosenfeld Halverson, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sliding

Verb

Kids made good accomplices, tasked with sneaking off on a hunt for the bill.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
At 15, Mariana de Miguel was already sneaking into Mexico City’s nightlife with a fake ID, saving money to see the bands that shaped her imagination.

— Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of sneaking

Verb

At the hospital, an insect fell from the girl’s shoe, and a staffer saw a cockroach crawling on her, the district attorney’s office said.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Of course, an extra three-quarters of an inch clearance and some elastic straps do not transform a unibody, front-biased crossover into an invincible rock-crawling monster.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of crawling

Verb

The most profitable service targets authors lurking outside the notoriously gatekept realm of traditional publishing.

— Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 13 Oct. 2026
However, the modern versions that are packed with high explosives and sit lurking under the dirt to blow up unwary vehicles or pedestrians are much nastier affairs.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of lurking

Verb

With a pair of real horns, one of them plays the bull by gliding toward the fuchsia bullfighting cape.

— Eyder Peralta, NPR, 15 Oct. 2026
The Rangers announced the devastating news on Saturday following a scary injury in which the 30-year-old’s right skate jammed into the post while gliding across his crease in the first period.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of gliding

Verb

Finally, while work is underway to build a formal framework for economic espionage, Congress must prevent any creeping erosion of the existing norm through the potentially corrupt dissemination of intelligence to favored companies.

— DAVID S. COHEN, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2026
Yep, there are more and more signs creeping in by the election cycle.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of creeping

Verb

Its model has Nvidia’s share of the other hyperscalers’ spending slipping from 18% in 2026 to 16% in 2027.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026
In the meantime, the strangers who are slipping into her home through the box have become her part-time companions, starting with Jason and Amanda and continuing with others like Leighton and Blair.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of slipping

Verb

Plush toys have long served as soft zero-g indicators for spaceflight missions, drifting freely to signal the instant a spacecraft enters weightlessness.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
Stewart complained about the chain’s merchandising and quality control, and Kmart was drifting toward financial trouble.

— Fernanda Tronco, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of drifting

Browse Nearby Words

slides

sliding

slight

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Style

“Sliding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sliding. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of sliding

verb

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