A slide needle, comprising a needle body, which has a needle hook with two spaced-apart lateral hook surfaces. A slide is movably arranged on the needle body between an initial position (I) and a stitch knock-over position (II). The slide has two slide blades. A hook hole on a free blade end of the slide blades is formed by inner hole surfaces. In the stitch knock-over position (II), each inner hole surface lies against an associated lateral hook surface of the needle hook at a contact location and the contact area between the slide and the needle hook is reduced in a height direction (H).