sidle
verb
si·dle ˈsī-dᵊl 
sidled; sidling ˈsīd-liŋ
ˈsī-dᵊl-iŋ
intransitive verb
: to go or move with one side foremost especially in a furtive advance
transitive verb
: to cause to move or turn sideways
sidle noun
Example Sentences
He sidled up to me and slipped me a note. She sidled over and whispered, “Do you see that guy?”. She sidled through the narrow opening.
Recent Examples on the Web The conventional wisdom is that candidates tack to left or right during the primaries but sidle toward the center in the general. 
Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 6 Sep. 2022 Parker used Jimmie to sidle up to Elvis and form a friendship to get Elvis to sign with Parker and the elder Snow, who were then business partners. Chris Willman, Variety, 25 June 2022 Not at these Cruise Ship Olympics, in which participants do not so much enter China as sidle up to it. Sarah Dilorenzo, ajc, 6 Feb. 2022 Future robotic spacecraft could, in theory, sidle up to Webb, open its gas cap, and refuel it. Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 25 Dec. 2021 From there, the surprises only continue: Pulling open one of the paintings reveals a secret door, inviting those lucky enough to have scored a reservation to step through and sidle up to one of the 14 counter seats. Alisha Prakash, Travel + Leisure, 25 Aug. 2021 Slack messages sidle onto screens, phones vibrate with breaking news and chats from the group chat, and worries about COVID and other threats break our concentration. Madeleine Burry, Health.com, 5 Oct. 2021 Zach took the opportunity to sidle up to Francisco Lindor and grab a selfie with him as the Mets were taking batting practice. BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2021 Macdonald was the purest kind of stand-up, someone who could sidle up to an issue as dark as cancer and talk about it with disarming frankness and goofy glee. David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2021 See More
Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 6 Sep. 2022 Parker used Jimmie to sidle up to Elvis and form a friendship to get Elvis to sign with Parker and the elder Snow, who were then business partners. Chris Willman, Variety, 25 June 2022 Not at these Cruise Ship Olympics, in which participants do not so much enter China as sidle up to it. Sarah Dilorenzo, ajc, 6 Feb. 2022 Future robotic spacecraft could, in theory, sidle up to Webb, open its gas cap, and refuel it. Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 25 Dec. 2021 From there, the surprises only continue: Pulling open one of the paintings reveals a secret door, inviting those lucky enough to have scored a reservation to step through and sidle up to one of the 14 counter seats. Alisha Prakash, Travel + Leisure, 25 Aug. 2021 Slack messages sidle onto screens, phones vibrate with breaking news and chats from the group chat, and worries about COVID and other threats break our concentration. Madeleine Burry, Health.com, 5 Oct. 2021 Zach took the opportunity to sidle up to Francisco Lindor and grab a selfie with him as the Mets were taking batting practice. BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2021 Macdonald was the purest kind of stand-up, someone who could sidle up to an issue as dark as cancer and talk about it with disarming frankness and goofy glee. David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
probably back-formation from sideling entry 2
First Known Use
1577, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Kids Definition
sidle
verb
si·dle ˈsī-dᵊl
sidled; sidling
: to go or move with one side forward
The crab sidled away.