slacken
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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slackens,
present (3rd person singular)
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slackened,
past participle, past
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slackening
present participle
verb
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to make or become looser
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to make or become slower, less intense, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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slackensimple
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slackenssimple
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have slackenedperfect
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has slackenedperfect
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am slackeningprogressive
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are slackeningprogressive
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is slackeningprogressive
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have been slackeningperfect progressive
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has been slackeningperfect progressive
Past
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slackenedsimple
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had slackenedperfect
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was slackeningprogressive
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were slackeningprogressive
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had been slackeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slacken
Explanation
To slacken is to loosen the tension on or tightness of something. If you slacken the clothesline any more, the clothes will be on the ground next time you hang out the wash. Slacken, in the "to loosen" sense, can also be used figuratively. Because you have been so responsible, we're going to slacken the rules about curfew on non-school nights and let you stay out an hour later. Slacken also means to slow down or make less active. If you are in a sprint race, you won't want to slacken your pace until after you cross the finish line or you might not win.
Vocabulary lists containing slacken
"All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury
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Excerpt from "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"
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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:
It seemed counterintuitive to slacken my grip given such a precise goal — to land a slender arrow in the epicenter of a black dot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Listeners might feel their pulse slacken as they settle into the music’s soothing triple meter, a recurring cycle of one-two-threes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
You absolutely must allow your lower face to slacken naturally, which may be right around the moment Kardashian parts her artificially plumped lips to make a heroic attempt at acting.
From Salon ● Nov. 6, 2025
The report cautioned that it is too early to determine what caused the rate to slacken.
From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2024
The current did not slacken and the punt came round the bend almost in the middle of the stream, revolving as it did so.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
The problem is that the birth-death model tends to exaggerate job creation at turning points in the economy — when growth accelerates or when it slackens off.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 12, 2025
As the wings begin to generate lift, the rotors’ pace slackens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
Just when the pace slackens, Crewe deftly flicks the reins, and “The New Life” jolts forward, as with the scandal of Oscar Wilde’s trial.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 29, 2022
But the podcast also slackens some of the tension between Miriam and her posthumous editors: “Within the Wires” listeners will have confirmation of certain key plot elements Gregory’s editors disbelieve.
From New York Times ● Dec. 3, 2021
Her grip on her purse slackens and her neck makes a nice curve.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
Lower gas prices largely explained the tame readings on wholesale prices in the past two months, but the cost of other key commodities have also slackened.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
One of the problems defense stocks have faced was a rotation into other sectors as fighting in the Middle East slackened.
From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026
“Consumers and businesses endured another difficult quarter as higher taxes and heightened uncertainty triggered a renewed reluctance to spend, invest and trade, while government spending slackened unexpectedly,” said Suren Thiru, economics director at the ICAEW.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2025
It was only by goal number 10 that the pace slackened.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2024
Ba’s mouth slackened as he struggled to make sense of what I was saying.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
The disconnect between slackening activity and the increasing yield has mystified even oil chieftains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
The central bank is trying to shore up a slackening U.S. jobs market while ensuring inflation doesn’t get out of hand again.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2025
Last year — amid a stagnating economy and slackening labor market — it reached record highs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2024
The office space gaslighting gives way to horror trickery, slackening the plot's tension until it nearly unravels in the final act.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2023
The younger boys, who had never been up this late, responded to the generalized slackening of discipline by either tearing up and down the stairs or falling fast asleep on the parlor rug.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
