slouch

[ slouch ]

/ slaʊtʃ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR slouch ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to sit or stand with an awkward, drooping posture.

to move or walk with loosely drooping body and careless gait.

to have a droop or downward bend, as a hat.

verb (used with object)

to cause to droop or bend down, as the shoulders or a hat.

noun

a drooping or bending forward of the head and shoulders; an awkward, drooping posture or carriage.

an awkward, clumsy, or slovenly person.

slouch hat.

a lazy, inept, or inefficient person.

Nearby words

sloth bear, slothful, slothfully, slotted spoon, slotter, slouch, slouch hat, slouchy, slough, slough off, slovak

Origin of slouch

First recorded in 1505–15; origin uncertain

SYNONYMS FOR slouch

8 laggard, loafer, sluggard.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR slouch ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsslouch·er, nounslouch·ing·ly, adverbun·slouched, adjectiveun·slouch·ing, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for slouch

The rest of the country is no slouch when it comes to solar, either.
It’s Always Sunny In England|The Daily Beast|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Feinstein, no slouch himself in the wunderkind department, began his career at the age of 20, working for Ira Gershwin.
Is Nick Ziobro the Next Frank Sinatra?|Steve North|July 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the veteran comedy writer, 52, is no slouch when it comes to getting laughs.
Meet Larry Wilmore, Stephen Colbert’s Replacement and Host of the New Series ‘The Minority Report’|Marlow Stern|May 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Gordon, mohawked and heavily tattooed, is no slouch, either.
UMass’ Derrick Gordon Makes History as the First Openly Gay Player in DI Men’s College Basketball|Ben Teitelbaum|April 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I slouch back in my office chair, breathe deeply, and stare up at the ceiling trying to regain my composure.
After War: Anger, Panic, and Sometimes Peace|Benjamin Tupper|June 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Then, as they looked across once again at the man in the slouch hat, he seemed aware of their glances and slunk down an alley.
The Moving Picture Boys on the War Front|Victor Appleton
Herbert Hutton lifted his head and watched Abijah Gage slouch into the room.
Exit Betty|Grace Livingston Hill
Lads would have something better to do than play pitch-and-toss, and slouch about the place, learning nothing but bad language.
The Hills and the Vale|Richard Jefferies
We come upon frontiersmen in leggings, slouch hat, and fur coat,—carrying their rifles.
The Seat of Empire|Charles Carleton Coffin
Her visitor was a tall, thin man, and he had a slouch hat, which he held in his hands as he talked.
The Thin Santa Claus|Ellis Parker Butler

British Dictionary definitions for slouch

slouch

/ (slaʊtʃ) /

verb

(intr) to sit or stand with a drooping bearing

(intr) to walk or move with an awkward slovenly gait

(tr) to cause (the shoulders) to droop

noun

a drooping carriage

(usually used in negative constructions) informal an incompetent or slovenly personhe's no slouch at football

Derived Formssloucher, nounslouching, adjectiveslouchingly, adverb

Word Origin for slouch

C16: of unknown origin

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 slouch (1 of 2)

slouch

1510s, "lazy man," variant of slouk (1560s), probably from a Scandinavian source, perhaps Old Norse slokr "lazy fellow," and related to slack (adj.) on the notion of "sagging, drooping." Meaning "stooping of the head and shoulders" first recorded 1725. Slouch hat, made of soft material, first attested 1764.

Word Origin and History for slouch (1 of 2)

slouch

"walk with a slouch," 1754; "have a downcast or stooped aspect," 1755; from slouch (n.). Related: Slouched; slouching (1610s as a past participle adjective; 1660s of persons, 1690s of hats).

slouch

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of slouch

Examples from the Web for slouch

British Dictionary definitions for slouch

slouch

verb

noun

Word Origin for slouch

Word Origin and History for slouch (1 of 2)

slouch

Word Origin and History for slouch (1 of 2)

slouch