incline

American  

[in-klahyn, in-klahyn, in-klahyn] / ɪnˈklaɪn, ˈɪn klaɪn, ɪnˈklaɪn /

verb (used without object)

inclines, present (3rd person singular) inclined, past participle, past inclining present participle

1. to deviate from the vertical or horizontal; slant.

   Synonyms:

   pitch, fall, rise, slope, lean

2. to have a mental tendency, preference, etc.; be disposed.

   We incline to rest and relaxation these days.

   Synonyms:

   lean, tend

3. to tend, in a physical sense; approximate.

   The flowers incline toward blue.

   Synonyms:

   veer, verge

4. to tend in character or in course of action.

   a political philosophy that inclines toward the conservative.

   Synonyms:

   veer, verge

5. to lean; bend.

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verb (used with object)

inclines, present (3rd person singular) inclined, past participle, past inclining present participle

1. to dispose (a person) in mind, habit, etc. (usually followed byto ).

   His attitude did not incline me to help him.

2. to bow, nod, or bend (the head, body, etc.).

   He inclined his head in greeting.

3. to cause to lean or bend in a particular direction.

noun

1. an inclined surface; slope; slant.

2. Railroads.

   1. Also called incline plane.  Also called inclined plane.  a cable railroad, the gradient of which is approximately 45°.

   2. any railroad or portion of a railroad, the gradient of which is too steep for ordinary locomotive adhesion alone to be effective.

3. Mining.

   1. an angled shaft following a dipping vein.

   2. an inclined haulageway.

idioms

1. incline one's ear, to listen, especially willingly or favorably.

   to incline one's ear to another's plea.

incline British  

verb

1. to deviate or cause to deviate from a particular plane, esp a vertical or horizontal plane; slope or slant

2. 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

3. to bend or lower (part of the body, esp the head), as in a bow or in order to listen

4. to listen favourably (to)

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noun

1. an inclined surface or slope; gradient

2. short for inclined railway

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reincline
  verb
• overincline
  verb
• incliner
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has inclined
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have inclined
  perfect
• have been inclining
  perfect progressive
• am inclining
  progressive 1st person singular
• are inclining
  progressive
• inclining
  participle
• is inclining
  progressive 3rd person singular
• has been inclining
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• inclines
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had inclined
  perfect
• had been inclining
  perfect progressive
• were inclining
  progressive plural
• inclined
  simple
• inclined
  participle
• was inclining
  progressive singular

Future

• will incline
  simple
• will have inclined
  perfect
• will have been inclining
  perfect progressive
• will be inclining
  progressive

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.

Example Sentences

Since then, for a host of complicated and mostly unforeseeable reasons, disparate circumstances across the region incline, slowly, in a promising direction.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

In other words, investors may find it a lot more difficult to keep up if the incline gets steeper and steeper.

From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026

I’m doing heavy resistance training, or I’m doing incline walking.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 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

There was one great peak ahead of them; the incline was steady at first—rock and grass and lichen—and then steep, in sharp jags.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Related Words

• bend
• impel
• persuade
• predispose
• prompt
• sway