slew

¹

[sloo]

verb

1. simple past tense of slay.

slew

²

Or slue

[sloo]

noun

Informal.

1. a large number or quantity.

   a whole slew of people.

slew

¹

/ sluː /

verb

1. to twist or be twisted sideways, esp awkwardly

   he slewed around in his chair

2. nautical to cause (a mast) to rotate in its step or (of a mast) to rotate in its step

noun

1. the act of slewing

slew

²

/ sluː /

verb

1. the past tense of slay

slew

³

/ sluː /

noun

1. a variant spelling (esp US) of slough 1

slew

⁴

/ sluː /

noun

1. informal,  a great number or amount; a lot

Word History and Origins

Origin of slew¹

1830–40, < Irish sluagh crowd, throng, army, host

Word History and Origins

Origin of slew¹

C18: of unknown origin

Origin of slew²

C20: from Irish Gaelic sluagh; related to Old Irish slōg army

Example Sentences

With a slew of new AI video tools and new ways to share them launched in recent months, the line between newscast and sales pitch is starting to blur.

From Los Angeles Times

A slew of policy announcements during the conference has counteracted the accusation, levelled at Badenoch, that she had previously left a vacuum that Reform had filled.

From BBC

He hasn't settled a slew of wars; the exact count of how many he claims to have ended varies depending how he tells it.

From BBC

What we have now, on the other hand, is a sprawling outcry against a slew of unbelievably rotten policies and a wildly out-of-control president.

From Salon

After that, Nexstar Media Group, which owns a slew of local ABC affiliates, said it would no longer air “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

From Salon

Related Words

• abundance 
• aggregation 
• batch 
• bunch 
• bundle 
• multiplicity 
• plenty 
• profusion 
• ream 
• scad