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. Also called 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:
Alexander Hamilton warned the constitutional delegates that “if we incline too much to democracy, we shall shoot into a monarchy.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 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
We trekked up a steep incline to quickly discover signs for white oil bubbling out of the ground.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026
My legs are beginning to hurt though and there's that slight incline round the corner.
From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2025
Westley was doing all he could to simply walk straight down the incline toward the main gate without help.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
Walking around may require navigating steep inclines or stairwell-like sidewalks, but over the past century the city has developed a unique transit system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
The hike is an easy 2.4 mile loop, that’s flat much of the way, with a few brief but gentle inclines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 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
Routes such as those served by TransPennine – which leant Hitachi the test Class 802 train – have inclines which require more energy, shortening the overall distance it could travel unaided.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2024
Our host glides to the table and inclines her head.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
And most economists and financial professionals are now inclined to believe them.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
"When my kids want something, I'm much more inclined to say yes. My quality of life has increased dramatically."
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
TikTok in particular is also facing a plethora of lawsuits from state AGs, so it might be inclined to sign on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
I’m increasingly inclined to hear it as a promise.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
He inclined his head toward his companion and spoke excitedly in Russian.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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
The rig pitched to the south, away from the beach, her derrick cutting obliquely across the sky and her helipad inclining at an angle that to the human eye read as almost apologetic.
From The Guardian ● May 2, 2017
“Hugor Hill,” he said, inclining his head in a solemn nod.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
