schlep

or schlepp, shlep, shlepp

[shlep]Slang.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR schlep ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), schlepped, schlep·ping.

to carry; lug: to schlep an umbrella on a sunny day.

verb (used without object), schlepped, schlep·ping.

to move slowly, awkwardly, or tediously: We schlepped from store to store all day.

noun

Also schlep·per. someone or something that is tedious, slow, or awkward; drag.

Origin of schlep

1920–25; < Yiddish shlepn to pull, drag, (intransitive) trudge < Middle High German dialect sleppen < Middle Low German, Middle Dutch slēpen; cognate with Middle High German, Old High German sleifen (German schleifen); akin to slip¹, slippery

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for schlep

pull, jerk, tote, drag, lug, carry

Examples from the Web for schlep

Contemporary Examples of schlep

Like other Schlep Lab projects, this video is meant to spark a conversation between generations.
The New Great Schlep
Mira Sucharov
October 31, 2012
Miss Blankenship, as brittle as her bones were, sure knew how to schlep bottles of liquor around the office.
Eulogy for Don Draper's Secretary
The Daily Beast Video
September 20, 2010
It's a 50-minute car ride (30 on the train) and well worth the schlep.
Gal With a Suitcase
Jolie Hunt
January 16, 2010

British Dictionary definitions for schlep

schlep

verb schleps, schlepping or schlepped

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

noun

a stupid or clumsy person

an arduous journey or procedure

Word Origin for schlep

Yiddish, from German schleppen

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for schlep

"to carry or drag," 1922 (in Joyce's "Ulysses"), from Yiddish shlepen "to drag," from Middle High German sleppen, related to Old High German sleifen "to drag," and slifan "to slide, slip" (cf. Middle English slippen; see slip (v.)). Related: Schlepped; schlepping.

"stupid person, loser," 1939, short for schlepper "person of little worth" (1934), in Yiddish, "fool, beggar, scrounger," from schlep (v.) "to carry or drag" (for sense evolution, cf. drag (n.) "annoying dull person").