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

ExpressVPN’s streaming performance might be difficult to beat, but NordVPN is no slouch in that area either.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

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

From MarketWatch • Dec. 31, 2025

You cannot just slouch in off the street on a whim, assuming you have a couple hundred dollars burning a hole in your pocket.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025

"I had a bad back but I always have one because I'm 5'11 and slouch in my job every day, so it was no more than normal," she said.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2025

It is in the graceful slouch of the men slipping their hands into the pockets of their tuxedo trousers.

From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison

Related Words

• crouch
• droop
• loll