slalom
Americannoun
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slaloms
plural
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Skiing. a downhill race over a winding and zigzag course marked by poles or gates.
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any winding or zigzag course marked by obstacles or barriers, as one in which automobiles are tested for maneuverability or drivers for reaction time.
verb (used without object)
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slaloms,
present (3rd person singular)
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slalomed,
past participle, past
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slaloming
present participle
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Skiing. to ski in or as if in a slalom.
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to move in a winding or zigzag fashion; weave.
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to follow a course with many twists and turns.
adjective
noun
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skiing a race, esp one downhill, over a winding course marked by artificial obstacles
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a similar type of obstacle race in canoes
verb
Usage
What does slalom mean? Slalom refers to the type of skiing and snowboarding event that takes place on a winding, downhill course marked by a series of boundary poles or gates, which the racer is required to stay between while attempting to cross the finish line in the shortest possible time. There are several slalom events in the Winter Olympics. In skiing, these include the slalom as well as the giant slalom and the super giant slalom (popularly called Super G), which feature longer courses and more widely spaced gates. In snowboarding, there is an event called the parallel giant slalom. (In slalom events, the word parallel indicates that two racers compete simultaneously on identically spaced courses). Such competitive skiing events are categorized as types of Alpine skiing (in contrast with Nordic skiing, which includes cross-country skiing and ski jumping). Alpine skiing is sometimes more generally called downhill skiing. The term downhill is also used in a more specific way as the name of the Alpine skiing event that takes place on a relatively straight downhill course—without gates. There are also slalom events in the Paralympic Winter Games. In slalom events, the gates or poles are laid out in different variations and combinations based on the course and the competition rules. It is common for racers to hit the gates as they pass them in order to take the most direct (and fastest) route to the next gate. Example: I like the speed of the downhill event, but I prefer the added challenge of slalom.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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slalomsimple
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slalomssimple
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have slalomedperfect
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has slalomedperfect
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am slalomingprogressive
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are slalomingprogressive
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is slalomingprogressive
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have been slalomingperfect progressive
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has been slalomingperfect progressive
Past
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slalomedsimple
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had slalomedperfect
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was slalomingprogressive
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were slalomingprogressive
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had been slalomingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slalom
1920–25; < Norwegian slalåm, equivalent to sla ( d ) sloping + låm track
Explanation
A slalom is a type of race in which downhill skiers swerve back and forth between gates or poles. Slalom races are an important part of the winter Olympics every four years. The race itself is called a slalom, and when you participate or practice this type of ski course, you slalom. You can use the verb any time someone's racing or moving this way, too, winding back and forth: "Watch that little kid slalom down the hill on her tricycle!" The Norwegian source is slalam, "sloping track."
Vocabulary lists containing slalom
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:
All tickets available for Oklahoma City’s softball and canoe slalom events were sold through for both drops.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Moving the softball and canoe slalom events outside of Southern California is a trade off though.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026
The softball tournament will be in Oklahoma City’s Devon Park, which hosts the Women’s College World Series every year, and canoe slalom will take place at Riversport OKC, the official U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026
Needing a top-15 finish in the final race of the season, the American was 11th in the giant slalom in Lillehammer, Norway.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026
This arc of the belt brought them through Cleopatra Park, where Tally threaded the slalom poles for old times’ sake.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
My youth was alarmingly idyllic with the hopped fences, bicycle slaloms through traffic and occasional near-misdemeanor mischief.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
On Tuesday, Shiffrin was racing with a gold medal on the line in the team combined event and proceeded to turn in one of the slowest slaloms of the day—and her entire career.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
This seventh win in the eight slaloms held this season cemented her standing as favourite for a second Olympic slalom gold at next month's Milan-Cortina Games.
From Barron's ● Jan. 25, 2026
Unseasonably warm temperatures hit the World Cup ski season this year, leading to race cancellations, including three out of 13 planned slaloms, which is his speciality.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2024
When the food comes out, the conversation slaloms between the arriving courses.
From Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software by Sam Williams
The QB then slalomed through the entire Servite defense as the first-half clock ran out, finding his way to the end zone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Mendoza slalomed past a lineman, trucked through a linebacker and launched himself Superman-style, extending the ball over the goal line just as two more Miami defenders crashed into his ribs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
George Horne did brilliantly to keep a touch-bound Portugal kick in play and from there Graham slalomed his way over.
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2024
Palace’s only hope was through the dangerous Eze who, after 54 minutes, slalomed his way through a wall of home defenders before being denied a penalty when he was brought down.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 26, 2023
I dropped my long board and slalomed fast-forming puddles to the Starbucks next to the tire center.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
City barely got out of first gear in the second half and Elanga got one back in the 62nd minute, curling into the far corner after slaloming through the defence.
From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026
McKay sprinkled some stardust of his own with what looked like a brilliant solo try, a slaloming run from his own half that cut the Toulon defence to shreds.
From BBC ● Jan. 19, 2024
Each time I considered slaloming down the fall myself, I remembered a Google review I’d read earlier that week : “Slid down the waterfall, scraped up my elbow and bit my tongue. Worth it!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2023
“It’s unreal when you’re literally slaloming through people’s flags, fists and God knows what else. You can’t experience that anywhere else other than the Alpe d’Huez in the Tour de France.”
From Washington Times ● Jul. 14, 2022
The original slaloming, as we know from the Winter Games, is executed on skis.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2021
Definitions 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.
