slalom

[slah-luhm, -lohm]

noun

1. Skiing.,  a downhill race over a winding and zigzag course marked by poles or gates.

2. 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)

1. Skiing.,  to ski in or as if in a slalom.

2. to move in a winding or zigzag fashion; weave.

3. to follow a course with many twists and turns.

adjective

1. of, for, or designating a zigzag course with obstacles, barriers, or the like.

   an excellent slalom skier.

slalom

/ ˈslɑːləm /

noun

1. skiing a race, esp one downhill, over a winding course marked by artificial obstacles

2. a similar type of obstacle race in canoes

verb

1. (intr) to take part in a slalom

Word History and Origins

Origin of slalom¹

1920–25; < Norwegian slalåm, equivalent to sla ( d ) sloping + låm track

Word History and Origins

Origin of slalom¹

Norwegian, from slad sloping + lom path

Example Sentences

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen held his nerve to win the men's slalom in the Finnish resort of Levi on Sunday, a maiden World Cup victory for Brazil.

Read more on Barron's

Oklahoma City will host softball and canoe slalom competitions while group stage games for the soccer tournament will also take place in stadiums across the country.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

After the women opened the season on Saturday with their giant slalom on the Austrian glacier, the men battled poor visibility and welcome wintry weather in their traditional curtain raiser.

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His mind slalomed elegantly through the intimacies of his body, his marriages and his neighborhood, but never through ideology.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The softball and canoe slalom events will be held in Oklahoma City.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

When To Use

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.