slouch

American  

[slouch] / slaʊtʃ /

verb (used without object)

1. to sit or stand with an awkward, drooping posture.

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

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

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verb (used with object)

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

noun

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

2. an awkward, clumsy, or slovenly person.

3. slouch hat.

4. a lazy, inept, or inefficient person.

   Synonyms:

   sluggard, loafer, laggard

slouch British  

/ slaʊtʃ /

verb

1. (intr) to sit or stand with a drooping bearing

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

3. (tr) to cause (the shoulders) to droop

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noun

1. a drooping carriage

2. informal (usually used in negative constructions) an incompetent or slovenly person

   he's no slouch at football

Other Word Forms

• sloucher
  noun
• slouching
  adjective
• slouchingly
  adverb
• unslouched
  adjective
• unslouching
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of slouch

First recorded in 1505–15; origin uncertain

Explanation

To slouch is to sit or stand with your shoulders hunched. Most people are more likely to slouch when they're tired or bored. You might tend to slouch in math class but sit up straight and tall when your favorite art teacher invites you to enter a piece in an art show. Your math class posture can itself be described as a slouch as well. Yet another meaning of slouch is a person who's lazy or useless — this is actually the word's original definition, from the 1500's. It's thought to be rooted in the Old Norse word slokr, "lazy fellow."

Example Sentences

Even before the new changes, Japan has been no slouch.

From Barron's • May 3, 2026

It’s a first-rate scene and Maria’s no slouch with a blunderbuss, which isn’t something you see every day.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

With a recently reported $350 billion valuation, Anthropic is smaller than OpenAI, but it’s no slouch.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 31, 2025

Let the squash slouch luxuriously in your pan, stirring often and scraping up every browned bit.

From Salon • Aug. 12, 2025

I slouch down deeper into his living room couch.

From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone

Related Words

• crouch
• droop
• loll