Meaning & use
slides
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“slides” is a form of “slide”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
The separate pages or images shown one after another in a presentation on a screen.
Grammar: Plural of slide: a set of slides, not a slides.
Patterns
- slides for something
- a set of slides
I will share the slides after the meeting.
She added charts to the slides before the talk.
His slides had too much text for people to read.
nounplural
Smooth, sloping structures on a playground that children slide down.
Grammar: Plural of slide: the park has two slides.
Patterns
- slides at something
The children raced to the slides as soon as the gates opened.
The new playground has three slides of different heights.
The metal slides get hot in summer.
nounpluraltechnical
Small pieces of glass on which samples are placed to be examined under a microscope.
Grammar: A technical meaning used in science classes.
Patterns
- slides under a microscope
The students prepared slides of onion skin.
The slides were labeled and stored in a tray.
Doctors study slides of tissue to find disease.
verbtransitive or intransitive
Moves smoothly across a surface, or moves something that way, in the third person singular.
Grammar: Third person singular of slide: she slides the door open.
Patterns
- slides across something
- slides something into something
He slides the tray into the oven.
The drawer slides open easily.
She slides on the ice every winter.
Word forms
| singular noun | slide |
|---|---|
| base verb | slide |
| past tense | slid |
| -ing form | sliding |
Common combinations
- presentation slides
- The presentation slides were sent to everyone.
- create slides
- I need to create slides for tomorrow's talk.
- playground slides
- Playground slides are checked for safety every month.
- microscope slides
- Microscope slides must be handled carefully.
- flip through the slides
- He flipped through the slides on his tablet.
Synonyms and how they differ
- transparencies
- Transparencies are older clear sheets shown on an overhead projector, while slides now usually means digital pages.
- presentation
- A presentation is the whole talk with its pages, while slides are the individual pages.
- glides
- Glides as a verb suggests effortless, graceful movement, while slides can be sudden or rough.
Word family
Commonly confused: slides or slights?
slides vs slights
Slights are small insults that hurt someone's feelings and have nothing to do with moving or presentations.
Practice
The speaker asked for the ____ to be sent to everyone after the meeting. Which word fits best?
Choose one answer.
Slides are the pages of a presentation that can be shared. Slights, slimes and sleds are real words but do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “slides”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.