slip

To "slip" is to fall or almost fall.

• He slipped on the ice.
• Renee slipped on the stairs and fell down.
• Jeff almost slipped on a loose piece of carpet.
• Be careful! Don’t slip!
• The tires on my car are slipping on the icy street.

The adjective form for "slip" is "slippery."

• Be careful! The streets and sidewalks are slippery today because of the ice.
• The slippery fish jumped out of Dave’s hands and landed in the bottom of the boat. (If it’s hard to hold something or get a grip on something, it might be slippery.)
• The floor will be slippery after you mop it with water.

You can also use the word "slip" when a person makes a mistake or a person’s performance is not as good as it usually is:

• The quality of their food is slipping.
• Ron’s grades in school are slipping because he has his mind on other things.
• The team slipped up on a few plays and almost lost the game.

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This page was first published on January 25, 2012. It was updated on January 19, 2017.