slew

¹ American  

[sloo] / slu /

verb

1. simple past tense of slay.

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slew ² American  

[sloo] / slu /

Or slue

noun

Informal.

1. a large number or quantity.

   a whole slew of people.

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slew ¹ British  

/ sluː /

verb

1. to twist or be twisted sideways, esp awkwardly

   he slewed around in his chair

2. nautical to cause (a mast) to rotate in its step or (of a mast) to rotate in its step

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noun

1. the act of slewing

slew ² British  

/ sluː /

verb

1. the past tense of slay

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slew ³ British  

/ sluː /

noun

1. a variant spelling (esp US) of slough 1

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slew ⁴ British  

/ sluː /

noun

1. informal a great number or amount; a lot

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Etymology

Origin of slew

1830–40, < Irish sluagh crowd, throng, army, host

Example Sentences

The move comes as a slew of companies prepare for major initial public offerings that could take place as soon as this year.

From MarketWatch

Regional theater faces a slew of challenges: rising production and personnel costs, post-pandemic audience declines and competition from digital media.

From Los Angeles Times

Her division has reviewed a slew of police consent decrees and has successfully petitioned judges to dismiss two—in Minneapolis and Louisville, Ky. Investigations have also been closed in Phoenix; Trenton, N.J.;

From The Wall Street Journal

The announcement comes amid continued struggles for the video game industry, which has in recent months seen a slew of sudden developer layoffs, service price increases and controversial leadership changes.

From BBC

Drivers like him were already facing a slew of issues - including excise tax and a suspended fare hike - but the recent soaring prices now mean some of his colleagues make nothing.

From BBC

Related Words

• abundance
• aggregation
• batch
• bunch
• bundle
• multiplicity
• plenty
• profusion
• ream
• scad