slouch
Americanverb (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)
noun
-
a drooping or bending forward of the head and shoulders; an awkward, drooping posture or carriage.
-
an awkward, clumsy, or slovenly person.
-
a lazy, inept, or inefficient person.
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
-
informal (usually used in negative constructions) an incompetent or slovenly person
he's no slouch at football
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
slouchsimple
-
slouchessimple
-
have slouchedperfect
-
has slouchedperfect
-
am slouchingprogressive
-
are slouchingprogressive
-
is slouchingprogressive
-
have been slouchingperfect progressive
-
has been slouchingperfect progressive
Past
-
slouchedsimple
-
had slouchedperfect
-
was slouchingprogressive
-
were slouchingprogressive
-
had been slouchingperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing slouch
The Lingo of Body Language
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Stargirl
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Seedfolks
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
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
Those tensions are already in play between the U.S. and its biggest adversary, China, which has been no slouch when it comes to space exploration.
From Salon ● Apr. 9, 2026
With a recently reported $350 billion valuation, Anthropic is smaller than OpenAI, but it’s no slouch.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 31, 2025
Their four eyes follow me to the bench outside of Sweet 16, where I slouch down as low as I can so that I can’t see the two of them anymore.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
Nebraska and Rutgers are no slouches either, each giving up fewer than 190 passing yards per game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2024
The five Nrityagram women who perform are certainly no slouches, as the opening number makes clear.
From New York Times ● May 10, 2023
He's the kind of fellow who's convinced he knew what the world needs in the way the rest of the slouches around him never did.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2022
Pulled pork from the American South ranges in styles, but usually balances the natural sweetness of the meat, slowly cooked until it slouches into tenderness, with tanginess and spice.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 9, 2022
Manny slouches down and stares up at the ceiling.
From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
She’s slouched on the couch, singing into a microphone; her brother is huddled over his laptop on the nearby desk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025
Unlike me, with my sad little balcony lined with wilted pots of herbs, he had proper outdoor space — and a neighbor whose blackberry bush slouched lazily over the fence, heavy with fruit.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2025
Shoulders slouched, Mr Jeffries’ face was blank as his lawyer entered his plea of not guilty.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2024
But during other stretches, Trump slouched forward, casting his gaze toward the ceiling, or leaned back in his chair with his arms folded and his eyes closed.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 15, 2024
He flew loosely, slouched in the seat, his fingers lightly on the wheel, and something about him, the way he sat and moved with the music, relaxed Brian.
From "The River" by Gary Paulsen
As he sat under a ray of natural light in his studio, his creations staring at his back through a hundred radiant eyes and looking glasses, Chambers sat slouching.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
All of that will ensure there is no slouching during Powell’s final stint as Fed chair—and not for investors, either.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
Fact: Many people spend hours slouching while staring at a computer or focusing on cellphones that draw the eyes down and curve the neck.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 15, 2025
Scotland still have the disappointment of slouching on their sofas this summer instead of strutting their stuff in Switzerland at the Euros.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2025
I sat in the backseat, slouching in my seat, and peeked to see if the soldiers were looking in my direction.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
