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slope

[slohp]
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verb (used without object), sloped, slop·ing.
  1. to have or take an inclined or oblique direction or angle considered with reference to a vertical or horizontal plane; slant.
  2. to move at an inclination or obliquely: They sloped gradually westward.
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verb (used with object), sloped, slop·ing.
  1. to direct at a slant or inclination; incline from the horizontal or vertical: The sun sloped its beams.
  2. to form with a slope or slant: to slope an embankment.
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noun
  1. ground that has a natural incline, as the side of a hill.
  2. inclination or slant, especially downward or upward.
  3. deviation from the horizontal or vertical.
  4. an inclined surface.
  5. Usually slopes. hills, especially foothills or bluffs: the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
  6. Mathematics.
    1. the tangent of the angle between a given straight line and the x-axis of a system of Cartesian coordinates.
    2. the derivative of the function whose graph is a given curve evaluated at a designated point.
  7. Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a person of East Asian origin, especially a Vietnamese or other South Asian.
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Idioms
  1. slope off, Chiefly British Slang. to make one's way out slowly or furtively.
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Origin of slope

1495–1505; aphetic variant of aslope; akin to slip1
Related formsslop·ing·ly, adverbslop·ing·ness, nounun·sloped, adjectiveun·slop·ing, adjective

Synonyms

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1. Slope, slant mean to incline away from a relatively straight surface or line used as a reference. To slope is to incline vertically in an oblique direction: The ground slopes ( upward or downward ) sharply here. To slant is to fall to one side, to lie obliquely to some line whether horizontal or perpendicular: The road slants off to the right.

Usage note

See slant-eyed.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

shelf, ramp, hill, declivity, tip, cant, bias, bend, pitch, swag, descent, gradient, skew, lean, sway, inclination, deviation, rise, diagonal, downgrade

Examples from the Web for slope

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • He descended the slope, and sat down in the shade of a broad-leaved tree.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

  • And up the slope, brandishing their sticks, charged the town boys.

  • At this moment a roar of astonishment came up to them from down the slope.

    The Leopard Woman

    Stewart Edward White

  • They passed the gate which was opened for them and began to mount the slope beyond.

    Fair Margaret

    H. Rider Haggard

  • There was a pleasant farmhouse out of town on the slope of Vesuvius.

British Dictionary definitions for slope

slope

verb
  1. to lie or cause to lie at a slanting or oblique angle
  2. (intr) (esp of natural features) to follow an inclined coursemany paths sloped down the hillside
  3. (intr; foll by off, away, etc) to go furtively
  4. (tr) military (formerly) to hold (a rifle) in the slope position (esp in the command slope arms)
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noun
  1. an inclined portion of ground
  2. (plural) hills or foothills
  3. any inclined surface or line
  4. the degree or amount of such inclination
  5. maths
    1. (of a line) the tangent of the angle between the line and another line parallel to the x- axis
    2. the first derivative of the equation of a curve at a given point
  6. (formerly) the position adopted for British military drill when the rifle is rested on the shoulder
  7. US slang, derogatory a person from Southeast Asia, especially a Vietnamese
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Derived Formssloper, nounsloping, adjectiveslopingly, adverbslopingness, noun

Word Origin

C15: short for aslope, perhaps from the past participle of Old English āslūpan to slip away, from slūpan to slip
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for slope

v.

1590s, "go in an oblique direction," from earlier adjective meaning "slanting" (c.1500), probably from Middle English aslope (adv.) "on the incline" (late 15c.), from Old English *aslopen, past participle of aslupan "to slip away," from a- "away" + slupan "to slip" (see sleeve). From 1709 as "to be in a slanting position;" transitive sense "place in a slanting position" is from c.1600. Related: Sloped; sloping.

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n.

1610s, "inclination," from slope (v.). Meaning "an incline, a slant (of ground)" is from 1620s. Derogatory slang meaning "Oriental person" is attested from 1948.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper