slipper

1 of 2

adjective

slip·​per ˈsli-pər How to pronounce slipper (audio)
chiefly dialectal
: slippery

slipper

2 of 2

noun

: a light low-cut shoe that is easily slipped on the foot
slippered
ˈsli-pərd How to pronounce slipper (audio)
adjective

Examples of slipper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Don’t miss the markdown on these plush slippers from Koolaburra by Ugg, which look similar to the best-selling Tasman Slippers from Ugg. —Clara McMahon, People.com, 11 Jan. 2025 These boots also work great as slippers, too. BLUEAIR air purifier: on sale for $244.99 Original price: $349.99 A BLUEAIR air purifier is the perfect solution to a stuffy house. —Christopher Murray, Fox News, 9 Jan. 2025 Time to kick off our fluffy slippers and blast away our winter daze to start 2025 correctly—by watching a metric ton of experimental theatre and dance. —The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2025 The slippers were stolen in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minn. —Steve Karnowski, Twin Cities, 3 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for slipper 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English slipir, sliper "causing something to slide or slip, deceitful," going back to Old English slipor, sliper, going back to Germanic *slip-ra- (whence also Old High German sleffar "sloping downward"), adjective derivative from the base of Germanic *sleipan- (strong verb) "to slide, slip" (whence Middle Dutch slīpen "to smooth, polish, sharpen," Middle Low German, "to glide, sink, slip," Old High German slīfan "to slide, pass away, decline"), of uncertain origin

Note: The adjective slipper has been effectively replaced by its derivative slippery, though the former was in existence in dialect late enough to be noticed by the Survey of English Dialects, which recorded it in Devon and Cornwall (see Survey of English Dialects: The Dictionary and Grammar, Routledge, 1994, s.v.). — The Germanic verb has been compared with Greek olibrón, glossed by Hesychius with olisthērón "slippery," though the assumption of an Indo-European etymon *h3slib-ro-, with both *b and a laryngeal preceding a sibilant, seems questionable. Parallel to *sleipan- is a verb *sleupan- "to creep, glide," which has been explained as a secondary formation based on near-synonymous *sleuban- (see slip entry 5, sleeve). As all these bases are ultimately of phonesthemic origin and can presumably be reshaped by variation of phonesthemic origin, it is difficult to disentangle inheritance from innovation. Compare slip entry 1.

Noun

Middle English slypper, from slippen "to slip entry 1" + -er -er entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of slipper was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing slipper

Dictionary Entries Near slipper

slipped wing

slipper

slipper animalcule

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Slipper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slipper. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

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Kids Definition

slipper

noun
slip·​per
ˈslip-ər
: a light low shoe without laces that is easily slipped on or off
slippered
-ərd
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on slipper

Nglish: Translation of slipper for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of slipper for Arabic Speakers

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