schlep

American  

[shlep] / ʃlɛp /

Also schlepp sometimes shlep,

verb (used with object)

Slang.

schlepped, schlepping

1. to carry; lug.

   to schlep an umbrella on a sunny day.

---

verb (used without object)

Slang.

schlepped, schlepping

1. to move slowly, awkwardly, or tediously.

   We schlepped from store to store all day.

noun

Slang.

1. Also schlepper. someone or something that is tedious, slow, or awkward.

schlep British  

/ ʃlɛp /

verb

1. to drag or lug (oneself or an object) with difficulty

---

noun

1. a stupid or clumsy person

2. an arduous journey or procedure

Etymology

Origin of schlep

First recorded in 1910–15; from Yiddish shlepn “to pull, drag, (intransitive) trudge,” from German schleppen, “to draw, tug, haul”; akin to slip ¹, slippery

---

Explanation

When you schlep something, you lug or carry it with difficulty. If your taxi can't make it up an icy hill, you might have to schlep your groceries all the way up to your house. If you schlep something, it's either awkward or heavy — or both. You have to pull or drag or tug things when you schlep them. You can also describe an awkward, long, or rough trip as a schlep: "It's such a schlep to get down Grandma's road during mud season." The word has a Yiddish root, shlepen, "to drag," from the Germanic sleifen, also "to drag."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

schlep schlepped schlepping

You can’t beat the price: $9 one way from Framingham and no bags to schlep except carry-ons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

Yiddish, the language spoken by Ashkenazi Jews across Europe before the Holocaust, is now perhaps best known to many English speakers through words such as "schlep", "klutz" and "chutzpah".

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2025

This was true, but we had underestimated two variables: December in Chicago and our motivation to schlep boxes after a seven-hour drive in a U-haul.

From Salon ● Dec. 5, 2024

Before we know it, though, the long schlep home will begin – via Hawaii, California and Winnipeg - and Westminster’s tilt towards the Budget will become total.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2024

“Anyway, I’m guessing you didn’t schlep all the way out here just to listen to me talk business. What are you doing here?”

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

I schlepped in oversized bags of flour and sugar to make cranberry-orange and pumpkin-chocolate loaves for Christmas—leaving a fine dusting of powder in the pantry.

From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2026

Lader, 40, described "grabbing babies who were being schlepped across the street, and finding parents who were hysterical that their kids weren't here."

From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026

He and his wife have schlepped materials home by train, “five big valises recently from Prague.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026

Since Red Stitch uses only purchased grapes, they must be schlepped to Herrera’s winemaking facilities as part of a heavily orchestrated process.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2025

But why don’t the rest of us yokels get schlepped around by private jets when we’re in grave danger?

From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2023

Portnoy hustles for years, schlepping papers around town in a secondhand van and, on occasion, cleaning poop from one of his newspaper boxes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026

But opportunities like last week’s flogging of the new Porsche 911 Turbo S on Circuito Ascari are rare and require considerable schlepping.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025

Still, they supported her ambitions, schlepping her to and from auditions and performances, and their creative natures helped her to see that a career in the arts “wasn’t off-limits,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2025

Once you understand that “Conclave” is “Mean Girls,” schlepping to a theater becomes much more appealing.

From Salon ● Nov. 22, 2024

The days of endlessly schlepping back and forth to church were no longer my problem, and I was lazily sleeping in.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---