slither

verb

slith·​er ˈsli-t͟hər How to pronounce slither (audio)
slithered; slithering; slithers
Synonyms of slither

intransitive verb

1
: to slide on or as if on a loose gravelly surface
2
: to slip or slide like a snake

transitive verb

: to cause to slide

Synonyms of slither

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of slither in a Sentence

The snake slithered through the garden. To get under the porch, I lay on my stomach and slithered like a snake. She slithered quietly into the room. He slithered his hand around her waist.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Close all exterior doors and seal any gaps that a snake could slither through. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 16 June 2026 Here are seven solutions to keep these animals slithering past your yard. — Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 6 July 2026 On land, movements range from crawling and slithering (worms, mollusks, arthropods, snakes) to walking and running. — Literary Hub, 22 June 2026 At the spring and autumn equinoxes, the shadow of a serpent appears to slither down the steps of the main Kukulcán pyramid. — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for slither

Word History

Etymology

Middle English slideren, from Old English slidrian, frequentative of slīdan to slide

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of slither was in the 13th century

Rhymes for slither

See All Rhymes for slither

Browse Nearby Words

slit-eyed
slither
slithery
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slither.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slither. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

slither

verb
slith·​er ˈslit͟h-ər How to pronounce slither (audio)
1
: to slide or cause to slide on or as if on a loose gravelly surface
2
: to slip or slide like a snake

More from Merriam-Webster on slither

Nglish: Translation of slither for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All