incline
Americanverb (used without object)
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inclines,
present (3rd person singular)
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inclined,
past participle, past
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inclining
present participle
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to deviate from the vertical or horizontal; slant.
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to have a mental tendency, preference, etc.; be disposed.
We incline to rest and relaxation these days.
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to tend, in a physical sense; approximate.
The flowers incline toward blue.
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to tend in character or in course of action.
a political philosophy that inclines toward the conservative.
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to lean; bend.
verb (used with object)
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inclines,
present (3rd person singular)
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inclined,
past participle, past
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inclining
present participle
-
to dispose (a person) in mind, habit, etc. (usually followed byto ).
His attitude did not incline me to help him.
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to bow, nod, or bend (the head, body, etc.).
He inclined his head in greeting.
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to cause to lean or bend in a particular direction.
noun
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inclines
plural
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an inclined surface; slope; slant.
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Railroads.
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Also called incline plane, inclined plane. a cable railroad, the gradient of which is approximately 45°.
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any railroad or portion of a railroad, the gradient of which is too steep for ordinary locomotive adhesion alone to be effective.
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Mining.
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an angled shaft following a dipping vein.
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an inclined haulageway.
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idioms
verb
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to deviate or cause to deviate from a particular plane, esp a vertical or horizontal plane; slope or slant
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to be disposed or cause to be disposed (towards some attitude or to do something)
he inclines towards levity
that does not incline me to think that you are right
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to bend or lower (part of the body, esp the head), as in a bow or in order to listen
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to listen favourably (to)
noun
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an inclined surface or slope; gradient
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short for inclined railway
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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inclinesimple
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inclinessimple
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have inclinedperfect
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has inclinedperfect
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am incliningprogressive
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are incliningprogressive
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is incliningprogressive
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have been incliningperfect progressive
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has been incliningperfect progressive
Past
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inclinedsimple
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had inclinedperfect
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was incliningprogressive
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were incliningprogressive
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had been incliningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of incline
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English inclinen, from Latin inclīnāre, equivalent to in- in- 2 + -clīnāre “to bend” ( see lean 1); replacing Middle English enclinen, from Middle French, from Latin, as above
Explanation
Something that slopes — that is, something that deviates from the straight horizontal or vertical — can be called an incline. If you like to walk up and down hills, you enjoy walking on inclines. The Latin root of the word incline is inclinare, meaning "to lean." As a verb, the word incline can mean to bend, so you incline your head. It can also mean to be favorably disposed toward something and you can think of it as having a bent for or leaning toward something. If the weather is nasty, you may be inclined to stay home to watch a movie with a bowl of popcorn at your side.
Vocabulary lists containing incline
"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl
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The One and Only Ivan
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Chains
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But traipse past the principal’s office, scale a short incline, and you’ll be rewarded with an 80-foot-long mural that explodes with color.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026
As the incline got steeper, I opened the companion app on my phone and pressed “Boost.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
The stress and emotional aftermath they’re each facing is a tightrope walk … with an incline.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
"I spoke about Paris being a reference point where hopefully we'll see a pretty steep incline in terms of performances," said Doris.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
She looked up at the large staircases on either side of the incline that led to the main entrance above and remembered how she’d clung to her father’s words.
From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau
Mr. Waterfield inclines toward Hobbes’s “they that have odds of power exact as much as they can, and the weak yield to such conditions as they can get.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
Just a short distance away pilgrims were walking up the steep inclines of Slieve Patrick to the St Patrick monument.
From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2025
There are a couple of entr’actes in which the clown, teased by his former supervisor, inclines toward the Grinchy.
From New York Times ● Nov. 27, 2024
“Over time, you can start picking up the pace, swinging your arms, adding inclines or finding other ways to increase your heart rate,” Tracy said.
From Seattle Times ● May 20, 2024
The professor smiles a little and inclines his head in the direction of the mayor and the man sitting next to him.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
One isn’t inclined to dispute the truth of Mr. Shadwick’s reading of this silly stuff, but one may make heavy weather of its presence in an otherwise effective account.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
So most audiences will automatically be put into the purposefully uncomfortable position of siding with people they would never see themselves inclined to agree with.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
That finding suggests that the body may become less inclined to store calories from food as fat.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
I am inclined to reach a more cynical interpretation, however.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
Father Drozdov nodded as he inclined away from the angry warrior.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
The young woman in the sepia-toned photograph curtsies gracefully, inclining her head and smiling sweetly at the camera.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2022
The sickening realization of the Titanic's imminent fate came when Jessop turned to say something to a fellow stewardess and saw that the "forward part" of the ship was inclining toward the dark ocean.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2022
She would like to see changes, inclining a Senedd creche, the introduction of job shares and an increase in the number of MSs to decrease workload.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2021
Since then, the pair's paths have diverged, with Appleblim's housier releases inclining more towards the dancefloor, and Shackleton's series of Drawbar Organ EPs offering playful experimentalism.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 13, 2013
Floyd, with his sloping shoulders and inclining chin—Dick had thought he’d be too afraid.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
