oozing

From the verb ooze: (⇒ conjugate)

oozing is: ⓘ

v pres p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

ooze¹ /uz/   v., oozed, ooz•ing, n. 
v. [no object]

1. (of moisture, liquid, etc.) to flow or pass slowly or gradually:
   Water was oozing from her sneakers.
2. to give off or allow (moisture, liquid, etc.) to exude:
   [~ + object] The wound began to ooze blood.
3. to appear or disappear slowly or gradually:
   [no object* (~ out/away)] His confidence began to ooze (out). You sensed his courage oozing (away).
4. to display or show falsely:
   [~ + object] oozing charm.

n. [uncountable]

5. the act of oozing.
6. something that oozes.

ooze² /uz/   n. [uncountable]

1. Geology a type of mud made chiefly of the shells of one-celled organisms, found on the ocean bottom.
2. Geology soft mud or slime.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

ooze¹  (o̅o̅z), v., oozed, ooz•ing, n. 
v.i. 

1. (of moisture, liquid, etc.) to flow, percolate, or exude slowly, as through holes or small openings.
2. to move or pass slowly or gradually, as if through a small opening or passage:
   The crowd oozed toward the entrance.
3. (of a substance) to exude moisture.
4. (of something abstract, as information or courage) to appear or disappear slowly or imperceptibly (often fol. by out or away):
   His cockiness oozed away during my rebuttal speech.
5. to display some characteristic or quality:
   to ooze with piety.

v.t. 

6. to make by oozing.
7. to exude (moisture, air, etc.) slowly.
8. to display or dispense freely and conspicuously:
   He can ooze charm when it serves his interest.

n. 

9. the act of oozing.
10. something that oozes.
11. Clothing an infusion of oak bark, sumac, etc., used in tanning.

• Middle English wos(e) (noun, nominal), wosen (verb, verbal), Old English wōs juice, moisture bef. 1000

Synonyms

• 10. slime, mud, muck, sludge.

ooze²  (o̅o̅z), n. 

1. Geology a calcareous or siliceous mud composed chiefly of the shells of one-celled organisms, covering parts of the ocean bottom.
2. Geology soft mud, or slime.
3. Geology a marsh or bog.

• Middle English wose, Old English wāse mud bef. 900

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

ooze / uːz/ verb

1. (intransitive) to flow or leak out slowly, as through pores or very small holes
2. to exude or emit (moisture, gas, etc)
3. (transitive) to overflow with: to ooze charm
4. (intransitive) often followed by away: to disappear or escape gradually

noun

1. a slow flowing or leaking
2. an infusion of vegetable matter, such as sumach or oak bark, used in tanning

Etymology: Old English wōs juice

ooze / uːz/ noun

1. a soft thin mud found at the bottom of lakes and rivers
2. a fine-grained calcareous or siliceous marine deposit consisting of the hard parts of planktonic organisms
3. muddy ground, esp of bogs

Etymology: Old English wāse mud; related to Old French wāse, Old Norse veisa