slope

[slohp]

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.
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.
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.

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

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

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.

Usage note

See slant-eyed.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for sloped

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 sloped

Contemporary Examples of sloped

None of his detractors or supporters will have sloped across to the other side because of the contents of this book.
The War Over Blair’s Memoir
Peter Hoskin
September 7, 2010

Historical Examples of sloped

The church was built on a hillock, which sloped down gently to the village.
Abbe Mouret's Transgression
Emile Zola
So, whenever I met him, I defied him to do it; and he sloped off crestfallen, I can tell you.'
Abbe Mouret's Transgression
Emile Zola
In front of them lay the path which sloped, for a hundred yards or more, to the first corner.
Love-at-Arms
Raphael Sabatini
The hill where the house and barns were, also sloped off to the left.
Personal Recollections of a Cavalryman
J. H. (James Harvey) Kidd
The 'ways' sloped at a gradient of one foot in twelve, and had iron surfaces.
Chatterbox, 1906
Various

British Dictionary definitions for sloped

slope

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
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
(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 Formssloper, 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

Word Origin and History for sloped

slope

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.

slope

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