as in lurking
to move about in a sly or secret manner
like a thief slinking about in the middle of the night
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Recent Examples of slinking
Psarras spends the majority of his time slinking through space, scanning the highly detailed living room of opulence for the next steps of Tony’s grisly plan (the varied set design, which includes some ingenious touches with translucent walls, is by Ron Gasparinetti) .
—
David John Chávez, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
And Taylor telegraphs this through every beguiling movement, sometimes slinking, other times exuding braggadocio.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
Either way, Invisigal is in the room listening to her friends debate her fate, noticeably slinking out as the door seemingly opens on its own.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025
When infertility came for me, my response was to pursue pregnancy with an ever-narrowing focus, incrementally eliminating everything else in my life—quitting my job, slinking away from friendships, disappearing from the wider world.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
The women wear stunning fashion numbers, Sebastian’s wife Dineo Price slinking down a staircase in a cleavage revealing skimpy number in its opening minutes.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
With the same playfulness of her makeup, Woods slicked the body of her hair in a bun on top of her head; her caramel-colored curled ends slinking around.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Now summer is slinking off and autumn is rushing in, cool and a little wistful.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
On the final stretch into the town, fruit sellers latched onto the sides, vendors perched in the doorways, and school kids rode a few meters before slipping down and slinking off towards their homes.
—Monisha Rajesh, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2024
David John Chávez, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
And Taylor telegraphs this through every beguiling movement, sometimes slinking, other times exuding braggadocio.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
Either way, Invisigal is in the room listening to her friends debate her fate, noticeably slinking out as the door seemingly opens on its own.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025
When infertility came for me, my response was to pursue pregnancy with an ever-narrowing focus, incrementally eliminating everything else in my life—quitting my job, slinking away from friendships, disappearing from the wider world.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
The women wear stunning fashion numbers, Sebastian’s wife Dineo Price slinking down a staircase in a cleavage revealing skimpy number in its opening minutes.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
With the same playfulness of her makeup, Woods slicked the body of her hair in a bun on top of her head; her caramel-colored curled ends slinking around.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Now summer is slinking off and autumn is rushing in, cool and a little wistful.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
On the final stretch into the town, fruit sellers latched onto the sides, vendors perched in the doorways, and school kids rode a few meters before slipping down and slinking off towards their homes.
—Monisha Rajesh, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slinking
Verb
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The Audacity creator Jonathan Glatzer and star Billy Magnussen, who plays wealthy tech CEO Duncan Park, took the stage at Deadline Contenders TV to talk about taking the tech monster lurking in the shadows and those responsible for its existence, and turning it into a comedy.—
Amanda Champagne-Meadows,
Deadline,
26 Apr. 2026
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With savings up to 86 percent on complete sets and lots of cooling options for warm nights, there are some major bedding deals lurking on the site.—
Tanya Sharma,
PEOPLE,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After the Combine, there was talk about going high in the second round or sneaking into the bottom of the first.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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And a thick hedgerow is no deterrent to foxes sneaking in to snatch small lambs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Now, Washington conventional wisdom, a 50-50 blend of dinner-party chatter and possibly sponsored social media posts, holds that the prize is slipping a bit from his grasp.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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Meanwhile, borrowing costs remain elevated, and wage gains are slipping, struggling to keep up with everything else getting more expensive.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At the same time, many institutions are grappling with ballooning operating costs and sliding enrollment, pressures that are intensifying labor conflicts over pay and resources.—
Kate Armanini,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
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In the meantime, sliding on a pair of fins and exploring under the water's surface is a worthwhile way to temporarily escape your daily stresses, get away from doom scrolling and connect with the beauty of nature.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slinking. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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