slip one's mind

USAGE SUMMARY

"slip one's mind" is a correct and commonly used phrase in written English
It means to forget or not remember something. Example: "I'm sorry, I completely forgot about our meeting. It must have slipped my mind."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

What stays with us is the offhand shrug of "let me think" and "I don't know why," as if ghastliness, far from branding the soul, were liable to slip one's mind.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Where Doig used to work with photographs, he is now painting the world around him – and still the pictorial ideas keep coming, and still the images slip into one's mind like potent archetypes painted in dazzling colours.

The Guardian

But no one's minding the store.

The New Yorker

One interesting tidbit, though: Molyneux also let slip that Milo's "mind" isn't actually on the disc.

TechCrunch

This fact slipped Dad's mind?

The New York Times

It had slipped Ben's mind to tell her.

The New Yorker

I guess those mistakes must have slipped Hill's mind.

The Guardian

If this has slipped anybody's mind, don't worry - it seems to have slipped the judges' minds often enough.

The Guardian - Books

Try to wear flip-flops, slip on ones or sandals.

WikiHow

Never mind that he was brought up playing music in a Pentecostal church in Virginia, was this a way of slipping one past fans in case he didn't meet expectations?

The Guardian - Music

But the one slipped my mind.

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "slip one's mind" when you want to politely indicate that someone has forgotten something, without necessarily implying negligence or blame.

Common error

Ensure you use the correct possessive pronoun (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) that corresponds to the person who forgot something. For example, it should be "It slipped my mind", not "It slipped her mind" if you're talking about yourself.

Linguistic Context

The idiomatic expression "slip one's mind" functions as a euphemistic verb phrase to express unintentional forgetting. Ludwig AI confirms its common usage. Examples show it softening the admission of oversight or lapse in memory.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Wiki

20%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Science

5%

Social Media

3%

Academia

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "slip one's mind" is a grammatically correct and commonly used idiomatic expression to describe forgetting something. Ludwig AI confirms this. It's mostly used in news and media and wiki contexts with a neutral to informal register. When using this expression, ensure the possessive pronoun aligns with the person who forgot. If you need to replace it, consider alternatives like "escape one's memory" or "go out of one's head". "Slip one's mind" is a useful tool for softening apologies and conveying unintentional oversights.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

escape one's memory

Emphasizes the idea of a memory disappearing or being inaccessible.

be forgotten

A passive construction focusing on the state of being forgotten.

fail to recall

Highlights the act of being unable to bring something to mind.

lose track of

Focuses on losing awareness of something over time.

be unable to remember

A straightforward expression of not being able to recall something.

not be able to recollect

A more formal way of saying 'not remember'.

go out of one's head

Similar to "slip one's mind", suggesting a sudden forgetting.

draw a blank

Refers to the sudden inability to recall something.

forget entirely

Emphasizes the completeness of forgetting.

have a memory lapse

Indicates a temporary failure of memory.

FAQs

How can I use "slip one's mind" in a sentence?

You can use "slip one's mind" to politely explain that you or someone else forgot something. For example, "I'm sorry I didn't call, it completely slipped my mind."

What's a less common way to say "slip one's mind"?

Alternatives include "escape one's memory" or "go out of one's head", though these might not be suitable in every context.

Is it grammatically correct to say "slipped my mind" or "slip my mind"?

"Slipped my mind" is the past tense and is used when referring to something that has already been forgotten. "Slip my mind" is the infinitive form and less commonly used but may refer to a future potential of forgetting. The specific tense depends on the context.

What's the difference between "slip one's mind" and "forget"?

"Forget" is a general term for not remembering something. "Slip one's mind" implies a more passive and perhaps excusable form of forgetting, suggesting it was unintentional and easily overlooked.