to slide by - Glite Dictionary

Examples

Don't let everything slide by, not now!

Promises in the Dark (1979)
I've let those comments slide by silently.

Blog text (2)
Out on the river, the last hydrofoil of the evening slid by like a snake of lights.

Fiction book (1992)
Pedestrians and cars slid by the window of the café.

Fiction book (1998)
The sonorous, deep-toned talk slid by in a lulling blur like the reverend's sermons.

Fiction book (2000)
As the days slide by, I find it harder to keep track of time.
The summer slides by quickly when you are having fun.
Sometimes, I let precious moments slide by without appreciating them.

Synonyms

to pass

vsto slide by

761 1.0

To spend time doing something

is narrower, stressing smooth unnoticed time movement rather than general use

to go by

vsto slide by

268 1.0

For time to pass

is the same idea but stresses smooth, unnoticed movement

to slip away

vsto slide by

32 3.0

For time to pass without anyone noticing

is about smooth unnoticed flow rather than gradual disappearance

to fly by

vsto slide by

23 3.3

To seem to pass very quickly, especially time

is about smooth unnoticed flow rather than only speed

to elapse

vsto slide by

19 5.1

Time passes without being noticed

is focused on smooth unnoticed flow rather than regularity

to pass by

vsto slide by

17 3.0

Go past without being noticed or taken

is about unnoticed smooth flow rather than simply being missed

to slip by

vsto slide by

11 3.8

To go past quickly without anyone noticing, as with time or chances

is about smooth unnoticed flow rather than only speed

to zip by

vsto slide by

Informal

3 3.6

To pass very quickly, as when a car goes by or time moves fast

is about smooth, often unnoticed passage rather than raw speed

to lapse

vsto slide by

1 4.0

To pass, as time between events

is specifically about smooth unnoticed time movement

to whisk by

vsto slide by

1 5.1

Move past someone or something very quickly and smoothly

is about time moving smoothly and unnoticed, not just physical motion

to glide by

vsto slide by

1 3.9

Time that passes quickly without you noticing

is the sense that emphasizes smooth, often unnoticed time flow

Antonyms

to linger

207 3.7

To stay in a place longer than expected because you do not want to leave

How Fast

to flash

12 2.2

to whisk by

1 5.1

to slide by

2 4.2

to pass by

17 3.0

crawl

19 2.7

Surface Forms

slide by infinitive

sliding by present participle

slides by third person singular

slid by past

slid by past participle

Morphology

slide + by

The verb 'slide' (to glide) combined with 'by' (indicating passage/past) yields a fairly direct sense of something passing smoothly, so a learner who knows the constituents can infer the core idea of time 'passing'. However, applying the motion metaphor to time and the nuance 'often unnoticed' is somewhat metaphorical and not fully predictable without exposure, so it is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The phrase slide by may come from the image of time gently sliding by like a picture moving past you, so you hardly notice it. That's why it means 'to pass smoothly and often unnoticed'.