slew
1 Americanverb
noun
verb
-
to twist or be twisted sideways, esp awkwardly
he slewed around in his chair
-
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
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
The World Cup adds a slew of extra tax issues.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Australia's restrictions, which took effect in December, saw a slew of social apps forced to close teens' accounts and prevent them from opening new ones.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
In interviews and on the stump, she conveys both polish and authenticity, and she has garnered a slew of endorsements from unions and progressive organizations like the Teamsters and Emily’s List.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
The airline accepted in principle a $7 billion offer that would take the company private, following a slew of U.K. companies delisting as a result of takeovers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
They came running or hopping into the church, carrying the same heavy spears they would use later in the week to slew the animals.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
For manager Brian Epstein, the very notion of the Beatles performing in any venue with slews of empty seats was a non-starter.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2025
He had gold and platinum albums, was on the cover of Time and Newsweek, and won slews of Grammys and Emmys.
From New York Times ● Nov. 22, 2023
Tourism on the whole is increasing, bringing slews of strangers to the idyllic island off the Washington coast.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 4, 2023
That means Webb can’t hide its slews behind the Earth like Hubble does.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 11, 2022
Growned folks have whole slews of ways of crushing your spirits if you’re young.
From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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.
