tilt

¹

[tilt]

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to lean, incline, slope, or slant.

2. to rush at or charge, as in a joust.

3. to hold poised for attack, as a lance.

4. to move (a camera) up or down on its vertical axis for photographing or televising a moving character, object, or the like.

verb (used without object)

1. to move into or assume a sloping position or direction.

2. to strike, thrust, or charge with a lance or the like (usually followed byat ).

3. to engage in a joust, tournament, or similar contest.

4. (of a camera) to move on its vertical axis.

   The camera tilts downward for an overhead shot.

5. to incline in opinion, feeling, etc.; lean.

   She's tilting toward the other candidate this year.

noun

1. an act or instance of tilting.

2. the state of being tilted; a sloping position.

3. a slope.

4. a joust or any other contest.

5. a dispute; controversy.

6. a thrust of a weapon, as at a tilt or joust.

7. (in aerial photography) the angle formed by the direction of aim of a camera and a perpendicular to the surface of the earth.

tilt

²

[tilt]

noun

1. a cover of coarse cloth, canvas, etc., as for a wagon.

2. an awning.

verb (used with object)

1. to furnish with a tilt.

tilt

¹

/ tɪlt /

verb

1. to incline or cause to incline at an angle

2. (usually intr) to attack or overthrow (a person or people) in a tilt or joust

3. to aim or thrust

   to tilt a lance

4. (tr) to work or forge with a tilt hammer

noun

1. a slope or angle

   at a tilt

2. the act of tilting

3. 1. a jousting contest

   2. a thrust with a lance or pole delivered during a tournament

4. an attempt to win a contest

5. See tilt hammer

6. at full speed or force

tilt

²

/ tɪlt /

noun

1. an awning or canopy, usually of canvas, for a boat, booth, etc

verb

1. (tr) to cover or provide with a tilt

Other Word Forms

• tiltable adjective
• tilter noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tilt¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English tilte(n), tilt(e), tult “to fall down, upset, tumble,” akin to Old English tealt “unsteady,” tealtian “to stumble”; compare dialectal Norwegian tylta “to tiptoe,” tylten “unsteady,” Swedish tulta “to totter”

Origin of tilt²

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English teld(e), telt(e), tild(e) “dwelling (temporary or permanent), fort, tent,” Old English teld “tent, pavilion”; cognate with German Zelt “tent,” Old Norse tjald “tent, tapestry, curtain”

Word History and Origins

Origin of tilt¹

Old English tealtian; related to Dutch touteren to totter, Norwegian tylta to tiptoe, tylten unsteady

Origin of tilt²

Old English teld; related to Old High German zelt tent, Old Norse tjald tent

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. tilt at windmills, to contend against imaginary opponents or injustices. Also fight with windmills.

2. (at) full tilt. full tilt.

Example Sentences

And while Hurts finished the game with 280 passing yards, his highest total of the season, the offensive imbalance has tilted steeply in the opposite direction of past weeks.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Many regional lenders’ businesses also tilt less toward loans like credit cards or lines of credit to big companies, which have floating interest rates that rise as rates do.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

But, he told a dismayed Combs, who twice tilted his head up and sighed, there was light at the end of his jail sentence.

Read more on BBC

In a twitch, a head tilt or a whine, Indy communicates his emotions: curious, lonely, contented, confused, fretful, desperate or petrified.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

If voters approve Proposition 50, Golden State Democrats would see the odds tilted further in their favor, while the number of Republicans representing California in Washington, D.C., could be reduced by half.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bend 
• dip 
• incline 
• lurch 
• shift 
• sway 
• tip