slope

[ slohp ]

/ sloʊp /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR slope ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), sloped, slop·ing.

to have or take an inclined or oblique direction or angle considered with reference to a vertical or horizontal plane; slant.

to move at an inclination or obliquely: They sloped gradually westward.

verb (used with object), sloped, slop·ing.

to direct at a slant or inclination; incline from the horizontal or vertical: The sun sloped its beams.

to form with a slope or slant: to slope an embankment.

noun

ground that has a natural incline, as the side of a hill.

inclination or slant, especially downward or upward.

deviation from the horizontal or vertical.

an inclined surface.

Usually slopes. hills, especially foothills or bluffs: the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Mathematics.

the tangent of the angle between a given straight line and the x-axis of a system of Cartesian coordinates.
the derivative of the function whose graph is a given curve evaluated at a designated point.

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.

Nearby words

slop jar, slop out, slop pail, slop sink, slop-over, slope, slope culture, sloper, sloppy, sloppy joe, sloppy joe's

Idioms

slope off, Chiefly British Slang. to make one's way out slowly or furtively.

Origin of slope

1495–1505; aphetic variant of aslope; akin to slip¹

SYNONYMS FOR slope

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.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR slope ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

slop·ing·ly, adverbslop·ing·ness, nounun·sloped, adjectiveun·slop·ing, adjective

Usage note

See slant-eyed.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for slope

As dusk approaches, a fog creeps up the slope of the mountain and swallows the sprawling city below—just like Pablo promised.
Pablo Escobar’s Private Prison Is Now Run by Monks for Senior Citizens|Jeff Campagna|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They buried a stockpile of rifles and machine guns on a slope just above the building that was to house the inmates.
Pablo Escobar’s Private Prison Is Now Run by Monks for Senior Citizens|Jeff Campagna|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The current had been wearing away the bottom of the slope, making a slide inevitable, said authors Daniel and Lynn Rodgers Miller.
Rescue Efforts Were Delayed Following Deadly Landslide in Washington|Stacey Solie|March 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He nudged with a foot at a busted-out bucket, moving easier now, down the slope—more old gear in the grass.
The Ballad of Johnny France|Richard Ben Cramer|January 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Fifteen minutes after leaving the town, he told us to park our Land Cruiser at the base of a slope and ascend by foot.
U.N. Ambassador Designate Samantha Power’s Greatest Journalistic Hits|Caitlin Dickson|June 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Mr. Slope hereupon did not look quite so satisfied as he had done.
Barchester Towers|Anthony Trollope
Meanwhile Edward and Cytherea, after lingering on the steps for several minutes, slowly descended the slope to the lake.
Desperate Remedies|Thomas Hardy
A slope rose up in front of it, which accounted for the water being drained onto this land.
The Library of Work and Play: Gardening and Farming.|Ellen Eddy Shaw
The hint or two which Mr. Slope had given was by no means thrown away upon the bishop.
Barchester Towers|Anthony Trollope
It was laced very taut to the rods, and had slope enough to make the water run off.
Four Young Explorers|Oliver Optic

British Dictionary definitions for slope

slope

/ (sləʊp) /

verb

to lie or cause to lie at a slanting or oblique angle

(intr) (esp of natural features) to follow an inclined coursemany paths sloped down the hillside

(intr; foll by off, away, etc) to go furtively

(tr) military (formerly) to hold (a rifle) in the slope position (esp in the command slope arms)

noun

an inclined portion of ground

(plural) hills or foothills

any inclined surface or line

the degree or amount of such inclination

maths

(of a line) the tangent of the angle between the line and another line parallel to the x- axis
the first derivative of the equation of a curve at a given point

(formerly) the position adopted for British military drill when the rifle is rested on the shoulder

US slang, derogatory a person from Southeast Asia, especially a Vietnamese

Derived Forms

sloper, nounsloping, adjectiveslopingly, adverbslopingness, noun

Word Origin for slope

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