to slip away
32
3.4
- phrasal verb
- /slɪp əˈweɪ/
:
escabullirse
- About every other Saturday Karl managed to slip away with us.
- quietly slipped away
- just slipped away
- slip away unnoticed
They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe.
- They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe.
- And what would happen is I would actually just slip away back into a coma.
- And so all of the consciousness of it slipped away and I could just do it.
- At what point did you start to see your son sort of disappear or sort of slip away from you?
Examples
-
They decided to slip away from the crowd and find a quieter place to talk.
-
There's a night out there deep enough for a man to slip away if he should wish.
-
I let her slip away.
-
Just before lunch, they slipped away together and went back to the frozen lake.
Fiction book (1999) -
I can't let you slip away from me too.
-
If worse came to worst, she could easily slip away and outrun him.
Fiction book (1992) -
She slipped away from me.
-
I just... feel like I'm being given a second chance and I don't want it to slip away.
-
Best I can tell, Murph slipped away as soon as we stepped outside.
-
As the officers disperse the reporters and other onlookers, Peggy slips away from the group.
Fiction book (1994)
Synonyms
421
3.0
Disappear suddenly and completely for no clear reason
125
3.7
To leave a place quietly so no one notices you
39
3.8
To leave a place quietly without anyone noticing
33
4.0
Leave a place quietly so others do not notice
17
3.6
To leave a place quietly without being noticed
16
6.7
To move quietly and carefully to avoid being seen
12
7.2
To leave a place quickly and quietly to avoid something you should do
11
8.5
To leave quickly and secretly with money or things to avoid being caught
8
4.4
To vanish suddenly with no trace
4
6.3
To leave a meeting or party quietly so no one notices
4
8.5
To leave a place quickly and secretly to avoid being caught
4
9.9
To leave a place suddenly without telling anyone to avoid trouble
1
9.1
To leave a place quietly or suddenly without telling others
1
7.7
To move quietly to the side and away so people do not notice you
1
9.9
A secret leaving of a home to avoid paying debts or being caught
1
7.9
To leave a place quickly, often without saying goodbye
To leave quickly to avoid trouble or attention
To leave a place quickly and secretly, often taking things or someone
Antonyms
How Secret
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to pass gradually or unnoticed' is directly built from 'slip' (to move smoothly/quietly) + 'away' (to disappear/fade out); the image of something quietly sliding out maps transparently onto time passing. This metaphorical extension is common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
The phrasal verb slip away comes from the image of slip, to move quietly, and away, to leave. Imagine someone sliding out of a room and passing by people without being seen, so it means 'to leave secretly'.