slime

IPA/slaɪm/
KK[slˈaɪm]IPA/slaɪm/

slime — noun

1. a thick wet substance that feels slippery and unpleasant, especially on animals

1.nounB2
Definition

a thick wet substance that feels slippery and unpleasant, especially on animals or in dirty water

Example

Selim slipped when black slime spread across the riverside path.

collocation: black slime

The fisherman rinsed fish slime from his hands in the harbor.

collocation: fish slime

Common collocations
  • black slime
  • green slime
  • fish slime
  • scrape slime off
Synonyms
  • goo

    a broader informal word for any sticky soft substance

  • ooze

    often suggests slow leakage or a sticky wet mass

  • gunk

    informal and often used for dirty sticky buildup

Grammar Patterns

covered in slime

green slime on [surface]

fish slime

Usage Note

Usually uncountable. Use this sense for naturally occurring slippery matter on fish, snails, stones, or wet surfaces, not for the toy material in noun/2.

Common Mistakes

There were slimes all over the rock.
There was slime all over the rock.
This sense is usually uncountable when you mean the wet substance itself.

2. a soft colored gel that children squeeze, stretch, and shape for fun

2.nounB1
Definition

a soft colored gel that children squeeze, stretch, and shape for fun

Example

Emily mixed pink slime at the table after school ended.

pattern: make slime

The children stretched glitter slime across the tray and laughed.

collocation: glitter slime

Common collocations
  • pink slime
  • glitter slime
  • make slime
  • play with slime
Synonyms
  • putty

    firmer and less wet than this toy material

  • gel

    a broader word that does not imply a children's toy

Grammar Patterns

make slime

play with slime

pink slime

glitter slime

Usage Note

This sense is the brightly colored toy material sold for stretching and squeezing. Distinguish it from noun/1, which refers to unpleasant natural slime.

Common Mistakes

The children played with a slime all afternoon.
The children played with slime all afternoon.
Use the uncountable noun when you mean the toy material itself.

slime — verb

Word family

  • slimy
    adjectiveB2
  • sliminess
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun/1, slime is an everyday word for something wet, slippery, and unpleasant on animals, stones, or dirty surfaces. Goo is broader and often less disgusting, so it can describe glue, melted candy, or children's toys as well as messes. Ooze often suggests a sticky wet mass or something slowly leaking out, so it overlaps with slime but is more common in descriptions of seepage. Sludge is heavier and dirtier, often used for thick waste in drains, rivers, or industrial settings. Use slime when the slippery texture is the main idea.

slime ↗gooooze ↗sludge ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Verbs

Phrases

  • covered in slime
  • green slime
  • make slime
  • slime the fish

Adjectives

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Slime comes from Old English words for sticky or slippery wet matter. The modern noun kept that idea of unpleasant smooth wetness, and the verb grew from it later to mean making something slimy or taking that layer away.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb