slant
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to cause to slope.
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to distort (information) by rendering it unfaithfully or incompletely, especially in order to reflect a particular viewpoint.
He slanted the news story to discredit the Administration.
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to write, edit, or publish for the interest or amusement of a specific group of readers.
a story slanted toward young adults.
noun
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slanting or oblique direction; slope.
the slant of a roof.
- Synonyms:
- pitch, inclination, incline, obliqueness, obliquity
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a slanting line, surface, etc.
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a mental leaning, bias, or distortion.
His mind shows a curious slant.
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viewpoint; opinion; attitude.
Let him give you his slant.
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Informal. a glance or look.
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Also called angle. Journalism. the particular mood or vein in which something is written, edited, or published.
His column always has a humorous slant.
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Football.
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an offensive play in which the ball-carrier runs toward the line of scrimmage at an angle.
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Also called slant-in. a pass pattern in which a receiver cuts diagonally across the middle of the field.
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Also called slant-eye. Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a person from East Asia, especially a Chinese or Japanese person.
adjective
verb
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to incline or be inclined at an oblique or sloping angle
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(tr) to write or present (news, etc) with a bias
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(of a person's opinions) to be biased
noun
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an inclined or oblique line or direction; slope
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a way of looking at something
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a bias or opinion, as in an article
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a less technical name for solidus
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sloping
adjective
Sensitive Note
See slant-eyed.
Usage
What does slant mean? To slant is to slope or lean away from a specific line. To slant is also to cause to slope, as in If you slant your house’s roof, rain and snow will slide off. A slant is a line or plane that is not horizontally or vertically straight. Often it is on a diagonal as with /. Figuratively, to slant is to have or be biased, as in My mother was always slanted toward my father’s opinion. To slant is also to distort information to reflect a specific viewpoint and misstate facts. It is often used in reference to journalism, which is expected to be unbiased and objective. Slanted media, for example, would back a particular political movement by covering its victories and downplaying its failures. To slant can also be used to mean to write, edit or publish something for a specific audience. This may be seen as a positive or negative, depending on how something is slanted and the purpose of the material. For example, to slant a news story to young readers would be to simplify the story without distorting it so younger readers could understand it. To slant a novel to a specific audience is to write it to their interests. However, to slant a news story with the intent to distort information would be considered a negative. Example: Cape Cod houses are known for their slanted roofs and shingle siding.
Synonym Usage
See slope.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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slantsimple
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slantssimple
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have slantedperfect
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has slantedperfect
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am slantingprogressive
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are slantingprogressive
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is slantingprogressive
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have been slantingperfect progressive
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has been slantingperfect progressive
Past
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slantedsimple
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had slantedperfect
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was slantingprogressive
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were slantingprogressive
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had been slantingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slant
First recorded in 1485–95; aphetic variant of aslant
Explanation
To slant is to tilt or slope sharply to one side. Many streets in San Francisco are so steep that they slant dramatically upward. You can slant the brim of your hat down to keep the sun out of your eyes, and the sun itself can slant at a lower angle (or slant), forcing you to put on your dark sunglasses. There's also the slant that means "show bias," the way a newspaper reporter does when she slants a story in favor of one political party over another. Slant was originally slenten, "slip sideways," from a Germanic root.
Vocabulary lists containing slant
Nothing But the Truth
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myPerspectives 10.3
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"What Is News?" and "How to Detect Bias in the News"
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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.
Slant had only recently taken over those wells and “continues to evaluate the economic development of the assets in an environmentally responsible way,” he added.
From New York Times • May 10, 2022
Slant magazine says that, “Ultimately, the film is too blinded by manufactured sentimentality to see the more compelling what-if scenario lying right in front of its eyes.”
From Washington Post • Oct. 13, 2021
In his review for Slant, Smith added: "The sequel is as clunky as its title... It rests its laurels on the performances of its three leads, each of whom coast on their established personas."
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2021
He told Slant Magazine that he would be keen to do a “70 Up.”
From Seattle Times • Jan. 8, 2021
“It would be a fine...way to decide,” said Slant, “with less of killing.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
