1.
to sidle up to; to edge closer
To move close to someone by shuffling or sliding, often stealthily.
猫が足に摺り寄ってきた。
The cat sidled up to my legs.
子供が母親に摺り寄った。
The child snuggled up to their mother.
寒いからと言って、彼女に摺り寄った。
Saying I was cold, I sidled up to her.
2.
to cozy up to; to ingratiate oneself
To try to gain favor with someone, often opportunistically.
権力者に摺り寄る人が多い。
Many people try to cozy up to those in power.
彼が出世したとたん、周りが摺り寄ってきた。
As soon as he was promoted, people started cozying up to him.
金持ちに摺り寄るのは見苦しい。
Cozying up to rich people is unseemly.
KANJI NOTE:
Often written in hiragana as すり寄る or すりよる. The kanji 摺 is less common.
TRANSITIVITY:
Intransitive verb (自動詞). Takes に for the person/thing one sidles up to.
NUANCE:
In sense 2, the word often implies opportunism or insincerity - trying to gain favor for selfish reasons.
COMPARISON:
- 摺り寄る - to sidle up (can be neutral or negative)
- 近づく - to approach (neutral)
- 甘える - to be affectionate, dependent (positive nuance)
- 取り入る - to ingratiate oneself (clearly negative)