slip away

/slɪp əˌweɪ/

/slɪp əˈweɪ/

Other forms: slipped away; slipping away; slips away

To slip away is to quietly leave so that no one notices. If you're not a fan of birthday cake, you might try to slip away from your friend's party before dessert is served.

You can easily slip away from an extremely boring lecture if you're sitting in the back row. Or you might plan to slip away early from a baseball game, only to get so caught up in the excitement that you end up staying for all nine innings. Another meaning of slip away is "elapse" or "go by," like when a whole summer seems to slip away, and suddenly it's September.

Definitions of slip away

1. verb

   leave furtively and stealthily
   synonyms: sneak away, sneak off, sneak out, steal away

   type of:

   go away, go forth, leave

   go away from a place
2. verb

   pass by
   synonyms: elapse, glide by, go along, go by, lapse, pass, slide by, slip by

   types:

   fell, fly, vanish

   pass away rapidly

   type of:

   advance, go on, march on, move on, pass on, progress

   move forward, also in the metaphorical sense