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.

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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

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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

He’s about to schlep through a 162-game season with them: plane trips, batting practice, 1 a.m. room service steak dinners in antiseptic luxury hotels.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 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

Admittedly, I have to schlep to the rover five times a day to check e-mail.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

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

There’s even a Stone of Destiny, schlepped down from Scotland for the occasion.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2023

After a “biting incident” in early March, White House “sexy bad boy” Major Biden was schlepped off to Delaware along with his German shepherd colleague, Champ, for additional training.

From Slate ● Apr. 2, 2021

Instead of shopping online or schlepping kids to multiple stores, parents just stop by Dick’s for everything they need.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026

With its Golden Gate Bridge views, the beach is a magnet for wedding parties, such as one seen schlepping across an empty parking lot after a photo shoot this week.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 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

In other words, employees who may give up a good chunk of their pay to work from home might actually be getting paid more than those who are schlepping to the office.

From Salon ● Feb. 27, 2025

And in her defense, she said it had been a long, wet day schlepping through monsoon floods.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon