Ooze means to flow out slowly and steadily, usually describing something thick, gooey, or unpleasant. Mud oozes between your toes when you walk through it. Honey oozes from a jar when you tip it over. Toothpaste oozes from the tube when you squeeze it.

The word captures that slow, gradual movement of thick liquids or semi-liquids. Think of how different oozing is from pouring: water pours quickly, but syrup oozes. Blood might ooze from a small cut, moving slowly rather than gushing out. In scary movies, slime often oozes down walls or seeps under doorways.

Ooze can also describe a way of expressing feelings or personality. Someone might ooze confidence, meaning it shows in everything they do, like it's seeping out of them. A flatterer might ooze false charm, laying it on thick and sticky, like molasses.

As a noun, ooze means soft, wet mud, especially the kind at the bottom of rivers, lakes, or oceans. Scientists study the ooze on the seafloor to learn about ancient climates and creatures. This kind of ooze is thick, squishy, and exactly what you'd imagine when you think of something oozing.