slow down
Idioms-
Delay, retard, reduce speed, as in She slowed down the sled by dragging her foot , or Slow down, Bill; you're driving much too fast . [First half of 1800s] Also see slow up .
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Become less active or vigorous, as in Now that I'm in my seventies I find I've slowed down quite a bit . [Second half of 1800s]
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.
His nephew Griffin Bremner said he felt the plane stutter and the propellers slow down, then his uncle turned to him and said, “Griffin, we’re cooked!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
"We're doing this to slow down the fire's advance; we want to save our homes," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Despite spending four decades getting the nation moving, Mr Motivator insists he will "never" slow down.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Analogous to the U.S. situation, some leading voices in Chinese tech are telling the government that tighter measures would slow down AI development in China and ultimately impinge on its growth potential.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Maybe dying from embarrassment was just making everything slow down.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
