English Expressions, Idioms & Phrasal Verbs | Meanings, Examples & Usage
information that is incomplete or unclear
"The witness gave only sketchy details about the incident."
to slide uncontrollably off a surface or road
"The bus skidded off the icy road."
to sleep later than usual, especially in the morning
"I like to sleep in on weekends to rest properly."
to sleep in order to recover from tiredness or sickness
"He drank too much and needed to sleep it off."
to sleep very peacefully and comfortably
"After a warm bath, she slept like a baby."
to sleep very deeply and soundly
"After the long journey, I slept like a log all night."
to sleep in order to recover from something like fatigue or hangover
"He’s trying to sleep off the tiredness from last night’s work."
to delay making a decision until the next day
"I’ll sleep on it and let you know tomorrow."
to wait until the next day before making a decision
"If a choice feels overwhelming, I sleep on it and answer in the morning."
to sleep at someone else's house for a night
"My friend invited me to sleep over at his place."
to continue sleeping despite noise or other disturbances
"I slept through the thunderstorm last night."
to have a good and peaceful sleep
"Good night! Sleep tight and sweet dreams."
to return to a worse or earlier condition
"The country risks sliding back into recession."
to get into bed smoothly and get ready to sleep
"After the long shift he just wants to slide into bed and rest."
to send a private message to someone on social media, often flirtatiously
"He started sliding into her DMs after seeing her post."
to become thinner; to lose weight
"She has been exercising to slim down for her wedding."
to miss or overlook something accidentally
"A few errors slipped by during the proofreading."
to gradually enter a state or start wearing something
"She quickly slipped into a more comfortable outfit."
to forget something accidentally
"Sorry, it completely slipped my mind to call you."
to say something unintentionally
"The secret just slipped out during the chat."
to be overlooked or missed in a system or process
"Unfortunately, your application slipped through the cracks and wasn't reviewed."
to make a small mistake
"Everyone slips up sometimes, so don’t be too hard on yourself."
a situation that can lead to serious problems if not controlled
"Allowing AI to make moral decisions is a slippery slope."
Consistency and patience lead to success.
"Remember, slow and steady wins the race."
very slow or lazy in movement or action
"He walks slow as a snail in the morning."
to do things more calmly or at a relaxed pace
"You should slow down and take time to rest when you feel stressed."
to reduce the rate of economic expansion
"Rising inflation can slow down growth in developing countries."
to reduce the speed of financial expenditure
"During inflation, people tend to slow down spending."
to move or act more slowly to reduce pressure or stress
"You should slow up before you burn out."
to calm down internally and observe your emotions without judgment
"Taking a breath helped her slow within and regain control over her thoughts."
to move or work more slowly to reduce stress
"When I feel tense, I remind myself to slow my pace and take it easy."
to reduce your pace to avoid stress or exhaustion
"If you feel tired, try to slow yourself down and rest a little."
something insignificant or of little value
"Compared to oil exports, textile trade is small potatoes."
casual or polite conversation about unimportant topics
"We made small talk while waiting for the bus."
a clever and intelligent person
"Don’t underestimate her—she’s a smart cookie."
to crash violently into something
"The truck smashed into the barrier after losing control."
an attempt to damage someone's reputation through false accusations or gossip
"The opposition launched a smear campaign against the minister."
to suspect something wrong or dishonest
"I smelled a rat when he offered me free tickets."
to express warmth or gratitude through a smile
"She smiled at me when I handed her the gift."
to have a big, broad smile showing happiness
"He was smiling from ear to ear after the interview."
something that is intended to deceive or confuse
"The company’s promises were just smoke and mirrors."
a place where powerful people make decisions secretly
"The new policy was decided in a smoke-filled room by senior officials."
to make emotions or problems less rough or intense
"Time will smooth out the pain you’re feeling now."
to resolve disagreements or make things run more easily
"We need to smooth out differences between the teams to improve collaboration."
to reduce ups and downs and make something more stable
"Fiscal policies aim to smooth out fluctuations in the economy."
to make a difficult situation less severe or tense
"She tried to smooth over the argument by changing the topic."
to reduce tension after a disagreement
"Leads smooth over conflicts by reminding everyone of the goal."
a situation without problems or difficulties
"Once we crossed the border, it was smooth sailing."
to make a difficult situation better by talking or acting kindly
"He tried to smooth things over after the argument."
to restore peace with someone after a disagreement
"She brought cookies to smooth things over with her neighbor."