slash

¹ American  

[slash] / slæʃ /

verb (used with object)

• slashes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• slashed,
  past participle,  past
• slashing
  present participle

1. to cut with a violent sweeping stroke or by striking violently and at random, as with a knife or sword.

2. to lash; whip.

3. to cut, reduce, or alter.

   The editors slashed the story to half its length.

   Synonyms:

   abbreviate, abridge

4. to make slits in (a garment) to show an underlying fabric.

5. to criticize, censure, or attack in a savage or cutting manner.

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verb (used without object)

• slashes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• slashed,
  past participle,  past
• slashing
  present participle

1. to lay about one with sharp, sweeping strokes; make one's way by cutting.

2. to make a sweeping, cutting stroke.

noun

1. a sweeping stroke, as with a knife, sword, or pen.

2. a cut, wound, or mark made with such a stroke.

3. a curtailment, reduction, or alteration.

   a drastic slash of prices.

4. a decorative slit in a garment showing an underlying fabric.

5. 1. a short oblique stroke (/) between two words indicating that whichever is appropriate may be chosen to complete the sense of the text in which they occur; a virgule.

      you and/or your dependents.

   2. a dividing line, as in dates, fractions, a run-in passage of poetry to show verse division, etc.; a virgule.

      She got 3/4 of the answers correct.

      “Sweetest love, I do not go/For weariness of thee.” (John Donne)

6. (in forest land)

   1. an open area strewn with debris of trees from felling or from wind or fire.

   2. the debris itself.

7. Slang. slash fiction.

slash ² American  

[slash] / slæʃ /

noun

1. Often slashes. a tract of wet or swampy ground overgrown with bushes or trees.

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slash British  

/ slæʃ /

verb

1. to cut or lay about (a person or thing) with sharp sweeping strokes, as with a sword, knife, etc

2. to lash with a whip

3. to make large gashes in

   to slash tyres

4. to reduce (prices, etc) drastically

5. to criticize harshly

6. to slit (the outer fabric of a garment) so that the lining material is revealed

7. to clear (scrub or undergrowth) by cutting

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noun

1. a sharp, sweeping stroke, as with a sword or whip

2. a cut or rent made by such a stroke

3. a decorative slit in a garment revealing the lining material

4. 1. littered wood chips and broken branches that remain after trees have been cut down

   2. an area so littered

5. Also called: diagonal, forward slash, separatrix, shilling mark, solidus, stroke, virgule. a short oblique stroke used in text to separate items of information, such as days, months, and years in dates ( 18/7/80 ), alternative words ( and/or ), numerator from denominator in fractions ( 55/103 ), etc

6. slang the act of urinating (esp in the phrase have a slash )

7. a genre of erotic fiction written by women, to appeal to women

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unslashed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• slashing
  present
• slashed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• slash
  simple
• slashes
  simple
• have slashed
  perfect
• has slashed
  perfect
• am slashing
  progressive
• are slashing
  progressive
• is slashing
  progressive
• have been slashing
  perfect progressive
• has been slashing
  perfect progressive

Past

• slashed
  simple
• had slashed
  perfect
• was slashing
  progressive
• were slashing
  progressive
• had been slashing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will slash
  simple
• will have slashed
  perfect
• will be slashing
  progressive
• will have been slashing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of slash¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English slaschen, perhaps from Old French esclachier “to break”

Origin of slash²

An Americanism dating back to 1645–55; origin uncertain

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Explanation

To quickly and violently cut something is to slash it. Sword fighters in a play might just clank their swords together, though they seem to slash each other. After the play is over, the snack stand might slash the price of popcorn. A vandal might slash the tires on people's cars, and a baker will sometimes slash the top of a loaf of bread. Both use a sharp knife, and make sweeping motions as they cut, but the similarities end there. Figuratively, slash can mean "reduce," so a sale at your grocery store might be announced with a sign reading "We slash prices!" This figurative meaning dates from the turn of the 20th century.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

slash slashes slashed slashing

And it plans to slash its quarterly dividend to 25 cents a share, down 36% from its prior dividend of 39 cents a share.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026

But it was not clear if this was due to decisions the fund had made or simply part of a broader trend that has seen many companies strive to slash their own emissions.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

Microsoft is offering buyouts to 60,000 employees — roughly a quarter of its global workforce — as the company looks to slash costs while investing heavily in artificial intelligence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026

A major review of criminal courts by former appeal judge Sir Brian Leveson recommended more virtual hearings for defendants to slash wasted time bringing them to and from cells.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Her armor had long slash marks in front from the claws of a gorgon.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

So, when Goldman Sachs slashes its target for the Kospi benchmark index by 25%, investors will need to sit up and pay attention as semiconductor stocks account for almost one-fifth of the S&P 500.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

Bell Potter keeps a speculative buy rating on the stock but slashes its target price by 71% to 0.20 Australian dollars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

As Germany's Opel slashes its engineering ranks and partners with China's Leapmotor, anxiety is running high in Ruesselsheim, the city it has long dominated.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

The Federal Reserve slashes 2026 GDP predictions to 2.2% and raises its PCE inflation estimate by 90 basis points to 3.6%.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

Twenty of my typed pages, full of slashes and red-circled edits, become thirty-one on thick Strathmore white.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

Since coming to power, the government has slashed long-held subsidies as part of an austerity drive.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

China, the world’s biggest oil importer, earlier this year slashed its monthly crude imports to their lowest levels in years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Tyler Perry has slashed $3.5 million from the asking price of his Wyoming mansion—days after picking up a $30 million home in Puerto Rico.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

State officials emphasized that California’s economy has continued to grow even as the state has slashed emissions, with gross domestic product up 40% since the passage of AB 32.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

He slashed his sword through the smoke, tearing the image to shreds.

From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan

But if defaults exceed expectations, that will weigh down performance that has already been in decline for years, slashing returns paid out to investors like pensions, insurers and wealthy individuals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

However, a smaller fiscal action could prompt the Fed to do more, including slashing interest rates and potentially restarting its purchases of longer-dated U.S. debt, he said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

The opening credits spoof the iconic James Bond gun barrel signature, with Jason slashing his long blade instead of shooting a gun.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

Now it is looking to accompany its move upmarket by slashing costs.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

The yard was already flooded and the rain was slashing down.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

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Related Words

• curtail
• cut
• cut back
• cut down
• drop
• hack
• lower
• pare
• shave
• shorten

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