slant

American  

[slant, slahnt] / slænt, slɑnt /

verb (used without object)

1. to veer or angle away from a given level or line, especially from a horizontal; slope.

   Synonyms:

   incline, lean

2. to have or be influenced by a subjective point of view, bias, personal feeling or inclination, etc. (usually followed bytoward ).

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verb (used with object)

1. to cause to slope.

2. to distort (information) by rendering it unfaithfully or incompletely, especially in order to reflect a particular viewpoint.

   He slanted the news story to discredit the Administration.

3. to write, edit, or publish for the interest or amusement of a specific group of readers.

   a story slanted toward young adults.

noun

1. slanting or oblique direction; slope.

   the slant of a roof.

   Synonyms:

   pitch, inclination, incline, obliqueness, obliquity

2. a slanting line, surface, etc.

3. virgule.

4. a mental leaning, bias, or distortion.

   His mind shows a curious slant.

5. viewpoint; opinion; attitude.

   Let him give you his slant.

6. Informal. a glance or look.

7. Also called angle.  Journalism. the particular mood or vein in which something is written, edited, or published.

   His column always has a humorous slant.

8. Football.

   1. an offensive play in which the ball-carrier runs toward the line of scrimmage at an angle.

   2. Also called slant-in.  a pass pattern in which a receiver cuts diagonally across the middle of the field.

9. Also called slant-eye.  Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a person from East Asia, especially a Chinese or Japanese person.

adjective

1. sloping; oblique.

   a slant roof; a slant approach.

slant British  

/ slɑːnt /

verb

1. to incline or be inclined at an oblique or sloping angle

2. (tr) to write or present (news, etc) with a bias

3. (of a person's opinions) to be biased

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noun

1. an inclined or oblique line or direction; slope

2. a way of looking at something

3. a bias or opinion, as in an article

4. a less technical name for solidus

5. sloping

adjective

1. oblique, sloping

Sensitive Note

See slant-eyed.

Usage

What does slant mean? To slant is to slope or lean away from a specific line. To slant is also to cause to slope, as in If you slant your house’s roof, rain and snow will slide off. A slant is a line or plane that is not horizontally or vertically straight. Often it is on a diagonal as with /. Figuratively, to slant is to have or be biased, as in My mother was always slanted toward my father’s opinion. To slant is also to distort information to reflect a specific viewpoint and misstate facts. It is often used in reference to journalism, which is expected to be unbiased and objective. Slanted media, for example, would back a particular political movement by covering its victories and downplaying its failures. To slant can also be used to mean to write, edit or publish something for a specific audience. This may be seen as a positive or negative, depending on how something is slanted and the purpose of the material. For example, to slant a news story to young readers would be to simplify the story without distorting it so younger readers could understand it. To slant a novel to a specific audience is to write it to their interests. However, to slant a news story with the intent to distort information would be considered a negative. Example: Cape Cod houses are known for their slanted roofs and shingle siding.

Related Words

See slope.

Other Word Forms

• slanting
  adjective
• slantingly
  adverb
• slantly
  adverb
• unslanted
  adjective
• unslanting
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of slant

First recorded in 1485–95; aphetic variant of aslant

Explanation

To slant is to tilt or slope sharply to one side. Many streets in San Francisco are so steep that they slant dramatically upward. You can slant the brim of your hat down to keep the sun out of your eyes, and the sun itself can slant at a lower angle (or slant), forcing you to put on your dark sunglasses. There's also the slant that means "show bias," the way a newspaper reporter does when she slants a story in favor of one political party over another. Slant was originally slenten, "slip sideways," from a Germanic root.

Example Sentences

However, Slant says the film "tries to be a lot of things, only to end up being about very little" and it's also been accused of using "tropes of trans stories" by Empire.

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2024

Since Slant took over, it has plugged only two wells, according to the filings.

From New York Times • May 10, 2022

“Ultimately,” says Slant magazine, “the film ends on a note of wistful but placid understanding that finds the young woman attain some of the maturity she assumed she already possessed.”

From Washington Post • May 19, 2021

“The series was an attempt to do a long view of English society,” Apted told Slant Magazine in 2019.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 8, 2021

I looked at Slant, whose eyes rolled toward mine; and we both saw the skull of the other.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• angle
• leaning
• point of view
• predisposition
• viewpoint