slipping

USAGE SUMMARY

The part of the phrase "slipping" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe something that is gradually losing grip or control, or to indicate a decline in performance or attention. Example: "He felt his focus slipping during the long lecture." Alternative expressions include "losing grip," "fading," and "sliding."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

We'll certainly give it a go and look to win the Six Nations but obviously we have to rely on other sides slipping up," Clark said.

The Guardian - Sport

This third collection by the Irish poet is full of luminous imagery and sometimes a gentle, almost wistful, touch, as in "Brigie": "When you smile in your sleep / I think of the seal's tail / whispering above the waves, / slipping back again into the deep".

The Guardian - Books

By contrast, the SDLP vote has been slipping.

The Guardian

Nadal's dominance on clay appears to be slipping ahead, and he has now lost five of his 22 contests on the surface this year and was beaten in straight sets by Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in the last fortnight before his latest defeat.

The Guardian - Sport

He may have contemplated telling them over dinner at a nice restaurant but when he pictured Manly excitedly dolling up (putting in their teeth and slipping into, beneath their best shell suit, some brand new intimates from the Terri Randall Collection) he figured the coming rejection would be too cruel.

The Guardian - Sport

By three, it is slipping away further, with middle-class children having been exposed to four times as many words as their poorer counterparts.

The Guardian - Opinion

With Fremantle having beaten Port Adelaide earlier in the day, the Cats knew they had to win at Simonds Stadium to avoid slipping to fourth place and a nightmare trip to Sydney in the first week of the playoffs.

The Guardian - Sport

The Greens have also taken a hit, slipping 3.3% to 890,000.

The Guardian

I sat back in my seat, amazed and haunted by this extraordinary scholar, out there in the desert, gathering and patterning a work of words that might keep us from slipping off into abstract space.

The Guardian - Books

In the restaurant, there were two kinds of pizza: margherita or "meat feast", which had various different kinds of animal all over it, slipping around on the molten cheese.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

This was the big-band era, dominated by the Tropicana Cabaret orchestra and its leader, Armando Romeu Jr, as well as Benny Moré and Dámaso Pérez Prado, all of whom helped shape modern Cuban music – melding Afrocuban with local jazz, mambo, US big-band styles, slipping from son montuno to cha cha cha, bolero, guaracha and beyond.

The Guardian - Music

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "slipping" when you want to describe a transition that feels unintentional or accidental, such as "slipping into old habits" or "slipping in the rankings".

Common error

Ensure you use the correct preposition to avoid ambiguity. "Slipping on" usually refers to a physical surface (ice, floor), while "slipping in" typically refers to a decline in status or performance (polls, quality). Using them interchangeably can confuse the reader regarding the literal or metaphorical nature of the statement.

Linguistic Context

In the English language, "slipping" primarily functions as a present participle or a gerund. According to Ludwig AI, it describes a continuous action of losing grip, sliding accidentally, or a gradual decline in status or quality. It is frequently paired with prepositions like "into", "away", or "back".

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

85%

Formal & Business

10%

Academia

5%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Science

3%

Social Media

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

Analysis from Ludwig confirms that "slipping" is a versatile and essential term in modern English, particularly within journalistic and professional writing. It effectively bridges the gap between literal physical instability and metaphorical decline in status, power, or quality. When using "slipping", writers should pay close attention to the prepositions following the word, as they define whether the context is a physical accident or a conceptual downturn. Given its 100% source quality rating in Ludwig AI, it remains a reliable choice for conveying subtle, often uncontrolled changes in state.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

sliding

Suggests a smoother, more continuous motion than the suddenness often implied by slipping.

declining

Focuses purely on the reduction in quality, quantity or value rather than the physical motion.

losing ground

A common idiom specifically for competitive contexts where one's position is weakened.

faltering

Implies a loss of momentum or a lack of steadiness rather than a simple downward move.

skidding

Usually reserved for literal contexts involving vehicles or feet on a slippery surface.

dropping

Describes a more direct vertical descent compared to the diagonal or messy movement of slipping.

eroding

Suggests a very gradual, almost invisible wearing away of a position or power.

lapsing

Specifically refers to a return to a previous, often worse, state or a failure in concentration.

deteriorating

Emphasizes the worsening condition of something over time.

plummeting

A much more intense and rapid version of slipping, often used for dramatic effect.

FAQs

How to use "slipping" in a sentence?

You can use "slipping" to describe a literal action like "He was "slipping" on the wet floor" or a metaphorical one such as "The company is "losing ground" as its market share is "slipping"."

What can I say instead of "slipping"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "sliding", "declining" or "faltering".

What's the difference between "slipping" and "sliding"?

While both involve movement across a surface, "slipping" implies an accidental loss of footing or control, whereas "sliding" can be a deliberate and controlled action.

Is it correct to say "slipping away"?

Yes, "slipping away" is a very common idiomatic expression used when an opportunity or a person's life is gradually and quietly being lost, often used as a synonym for "fading".