slash
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to cut with a violent sweeping stroke or by striking violently and at random, as with a knife or sword.
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to lash; whip.
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to cut, reduce, or alter.
The editors slashed the story to half its length.
- Synonyms:
- abbreviate, abridge
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to make slits in (a garment) to show an underlying fabric.
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to criticize, censure, or attack in a savage or cutting manner.
verb (used without object)
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to lay about one with sharp, sweeping strokes; make one's way by cutting.
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to make a sweeping, cutting stroke.
noun
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a sweeping stroke, as with a knife, sword, or pen.
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a cut, wound, or mark made with such a stroke.
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a curtailment, reduction, or alteration.
a drastic slash of prices.
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a decorative slit in a garment showing an underlying fabric.
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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.
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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)
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(in forest land)
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an open area strewn with debris of trees from felling or from wind or fire.
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the debris itself.
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Slang. slash fiction.
noun
verb
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to cut or lay about (a person or thing) with sharp sweeping strokes, as with a sword, knife, etc
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to lash with a whip
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to make large gashes in
to slash tyres
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to reduce (prices, etc) drastically
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to criticize harshly
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to slit (the outer fabric of a garment) so that the lining material is revealed
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to clear (scrub or undergrowth) by cutting
noun
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a sharp, sweeping stroke, as with a sword or whip
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a cut or rent made by such a stroke
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a decorative slit in a garment revealing the lining material
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littered wood chips and broken branches that remain after trees have been cut down
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an area so littered
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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
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slang the act of urinating (esp in the phrase have a slash )
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a genre of erotic fiction written by women, to appeal to women
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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slashsimple
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slashessimple
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have slashedperfect
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has slashedperfect
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am slashingprogressive
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are slashingprogressive
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is slashingprogressive
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have been slashingperfect progressive
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has been slashingperfect progressive
Past
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slashedsimple
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had slashedperfect
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was slashingprogressive
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were slashingprogressive
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had been slashingperfect progressive
Future
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing slash
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:
That coincided with O'Neill becoming CEO, whose immediate task has been to also slash costs.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Bains called for more action from the government to slash VAT rates.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
It’s a risk-on environment in the extreme, and an ideal moment for opportunists looking to slash investor protections.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
“You aren’t just watching your company miss earnings; you are watching the company that pays your salary simultaneously slash your retirement timeline by years.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
His closed mouth was a gray slash across his face.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
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
He slashes his 2026 and 2027 earnings projections by 22% and 28%, respectively.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
AI slashes their coding costs while maintaining their revenue.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 19, 2026
Offstage, growing slashes in Will’s leather doublets depict “emotional turmoil.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
The landscape had started to change, and here and there amongst the green were slashes of black where the Precambrian rock grafted sharp hills and cut into craggy cliffs.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
The potential cuts come a month after the German carmaker slashed its sales and profitability guidance amid fierce competition in China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Pyziur also noted that oil prices have been suppressed in part because China slashed its own imports of oil.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
Other western countries including France, Germany and the UK have also slashed foreign assistance, leaving humanitarian organisations reeling and severely affecting efforts to combat diseases such as HIV.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Meta and Oracle slashed over 10% of their workforces in favor of implementing AI into its operations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
When Fflewddur, endeavoring to make friends, put his finger into the cage, the gwythaint roused and slashed at him with its beak.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
Cook’s first big move when he joined the company in 1998 was to implement a “just-in-time” inventory system by slashing unsold product storage times, consolidating suppliers and outsourcing manufacturing.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
By slashing prices on some core items, Primark is likely hoping to woo shoppers with low-cost staples, in the same way that supermarkets attract customers with cheap milk and bananas, Berg says.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Chait has said he is prepared to take the steps necessary to balance the books — and the district has committed to slashing thousands of jobs, among other measures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Companies are redesigning packaging and slashing marketing budgets to keep product prices under this psychologically important threshold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The cliffs got closer, and he could see the islet shrouded in a veil of slashing rain and gray sludge.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
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.
