slip away

slip away (third-person singular simple present slips away, present participle slipping away, simple past and past participle slipped away)

1. To leave a place, or a gathering, without being noticed.

   I'm going to try to slip away from work early, if I can.

   • 1906, Edith Nesbit, The Railway Children, Chapter 4: The engine-burglar,

     But when Bobbie crept down later to bring up her presents--for she felt she really could not be separated from them all night--Mother was not writing, but leaning her head on her arms and her arms on the table. I think it was rather good of Bobbie to slip quietly away, saying over and over, "She doesn't want me to know she's unhappy, and I won't know; I won't know." But it made a sad end to the birthday.

2. (of time) To pass quickly, almost unnoticed.

   The months slipped away and became years.

3. (of an advantage) To disappear; to elude one.

   When Liverpool scored a third goal, their hopes of winning slipped away forever.

   • 2010 December 28, Kevin Darling, “West Brom 1 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC‎:

     Scharner then headed a Dorrans free-kick against the crossbar, with Tchoyi unable to turn in the follow-up as the Baggies saw their hopes of salvaging a point slip away.

4. (euphemistic) To die peacefully.

   He slipped away quietly in his sleep.

• (to leave): slide off, slip off, sneak off

• give someone the slip