slew
1 Americanverb
noun
verb
-
to twist or be twisted sideways, esp awkwardly
he slewed around in his chair
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nautical to cause (a mast) to rotate in its step or (of a mast) to rotate in its step
noun
verb
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has slewedperfect 3rd person singular
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have slewedperfect
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are slewingprogressive
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is slewingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am slewingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been slewingperfect progressive
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slewssingular 3rd person
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has been slewingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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slewingparticiple
Past
-
had slewedperfect
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slewedparticiple
-
were slewingprogressive plural
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slewedsimple
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had been slewingperfect progressive
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was slewingprogressive singular
Future
Etymology
Origin of slew
1830–40, < Irish sluagh crowd, throng, army, host
Explanation
Of all the many nouns referring to a large group of things, one of the most fun is slew, as in "I saw a whole slew of birds in the tree by the river." American English is constantly evolving, its richness coming from the many languages feeding into it. The noun slew, for instance, is from the Irish Gaelic sluagh, meaning "multitude." As an unrelated verb, it's the past tense of slay.
Vocabulary lists containing slew
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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St. Patrick's Day Vocabulary: Words With Irish and Gaelic Roots
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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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.
After a major restructuring that began two years ago during which the company laid off staffers and sold off properties, Allen is back with a slew of ambitious acquisitions.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
Elmo also fielded a slew of sarcastic and jaded responses when he tweeted in 2024: "How is everybody doing?"
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
Senate President Stuart Adams, who chairs MIDA, is facing a slew of primary opponents.
From Slate • Jun. 1, 2026
The slew of Okta price target hikes, mostly due to Wall Street’s AI excitement, comes as analysts have already been overwhelmingly bullish on the stock.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
Two nights before my execution date, I have a slew of dreams while trying to sleep against my cell's wall.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
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.
